Masquerade
by nasher91
Summary: Hermione sets herself a goal at the now-annual Yule Ball.Can she use this year's masquerade theme to overcome house rivalries, and what happens when the masks come off?
1. Chapter 1

**Masquerade**

Hermione looked at her reflection, tweaked her hair slightly and checked the majority of her face way covered before smiling in satisfaction. "What do you think?" She asked herself then giggled self-indulgently. She was nervous, granted, but talking to her own reflection was a step too far for her. Her hands fluttered to the waist band of her dress and she smoothed it down for the tenth time in as many minutes. She wasn't usually so preoccupied with Hogwarts dances but ever since the Yule Ball, and given the certain rules of this ball, she'd been a lot more inclined to attend - at least in secret. As far as Harry and Ron were concerned she was going to hide away in the library all evening, in true Hermione style. "Sorry boys," she whispered, grinning as she twirled around, "but not _this_ evening."

The truth was that Hermione intended to go against the grain of the school system while she still could. Not that she was going to do anything ridiculously illegal; she was still herself after all. No, she was going to challenge the house cliques and stereotypes. She was going to get a boy from each house to dance with her, maybe even flirt with her a bit, and then at midnight she would prove that two people don't have to be from the same house to make it work. The plan was only going to work as well as it could due to the theme of this year's now-annual Yule Ball - masquerade. Hermione could hide behind a mask for the entire evening while she acted out her plan. It was perfect.

As she reviewed her plan, however, Hermione grew nervous again. Gryffindor would be easy. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw wouldn't be so difficult either, but it was Slytherin that worried her. She knew that she herself was conforming to the house stereotypes but the Slytherin boys were so aloof with anyone not in their inner circle. She calmed her nerves with some water and grinned, they were nothing to worry about. "Think of it as a challenge Hermione, like a particularly hard piece of potions work." She told her mirror-self, noticing the relaxing of her stance as she changed her thought-process.

She peered around the corner of the enlarged toilet cubicle to check the room was empty before she left. Several people had seen her go into the cubicle earlier, most notably Lavender who would gossip her identity away given half the chance, and Hermione didn't want anyone to recognise her. Thankfully the girls' toilets were empty and she was able to exit, restore her cubicle to its normal size and stash away her usual school robes just before a small group of first year Hufflepuffs entered. One of them stopped upon seeing her, her eyes wide, Hermione smiled at the girl and hurried past her. She was already late and she wanted as much time as possible to achieve her challenge.

As Hermione entered the great hall she stumbled slightly in her unusual heels. Just as she thought she would end up sprawled on the floor she felt someone grab her arm. She righted herself and turned to face her rescuer. Harry's unruly mop of hair gave him away instantly and Hermione smiled, relaxing in the presence of her friend. Not recognising his best friend of the past six years Harry smiled what Ron described as his 'charmer' smile. "Dance?" He asked, inclining his head towards the already crowded dance floor. Hermione chuckled quietly to herself and accepted the offer. If even Harry, the much more perceptive of him and Ron, hadn't recognised her then she could easily succeed tonight.

They made their way to the dance floor, giving Hermione a chance to admire the room. Professor Flitwick had decorated the room with candles, muggle fairy lights and chandeliers. The effect was a romantic and mysterious lighting, lending well to the evening's theme. There was a draped area to the side of the dance floor with separate table booths for friends and couples to spend time alone together, although Filch could be seen lurking nearby and happily disturbing any wayward couples who took advantage of the shadowy folds.

A muggle dance song was playing, although Hermione couldn't see where the music was actually coming from, and Harry began dancing as close to her as he could get away with. Hermione felt a bit awkward at first but soon began to enjoy the music and her friend's company too much to worry. In fact perhaps she was enjoying Harry's company a bit _too_ much. She found herself wishing that she had no knowledge of Ginny's feelings towards Harry and could pursue him herself. It made sense, she told herself, they'd been through so much together which was bound to bring people together, and they trusted each other more than most people ever did. Perhaps, Hermione decided, it was time to find a new dance partner.

Several songs had passed by now and Hermione was dismayed to see that most of her year were already dancing. She retreated discretely, after pleading thirst to Harry, to a secluded corner to look for her next partner. Many of the boys were wearing their house colours as their masks, and some had already abandoned the masquerade pretence.

Hermione guessed that the music playlist was going to be entirely muggle music this evening, as she had already heard several of her favourite bands and another had just come on. She felt a hand grab hers and pull her into the throng of dancing students. "I love this song!" The boy shouted above Fall Out Boy's _Dance Dance_. "What house are you in, Slytherin?" Hermione grinned to herself, while she hadn't deliberately chosen her dresses colour to deceive people it had helped distance herself from being discovered. She shook her head and leaned towards her partner. "I thought the whole point of the masks was to keep our identities secret, what good would telling you my house do?"

He grinned and twirled her, causing her to giddily shriek, before pulling her close. "The good it would do, would be making it easier for me to find you tomorrow to ask you out." He supplied. Hermione blushed and said nothing, but remained dancing with her partner for some time. There was no more conversation for a couple of songs, until he broke their companionable silence. "Ravenclaw" Hermione looked up and frowned at him, he grinned and kissed her cheek. "I'm in Ravenclaw, if you wanted to find me tomorrow for any reason. Ask for Pete Wentz." He bowed and left her alone on the dance floor, blowing her a kiss as he disappeared into the crowd. Despite herself Hermione grinned and blushed further, tonight was going well.

She squeezed her way across the floor and into one of the nearby bathrooms. Being a prefect allowed her the luxury of the prefect's bathroom, complete with its full length mirror. She'd narrowly missed being caught with her dress on by Pansy earlier in this room but Pansy was now occupied desperately seeking Draco, and so Hermione was alone. She locked the door and took off her mask. Her eyes glowed and her cheeks were flushed, from dancing and her previous partner's compliments.

She twisted from side to side, ensuring her dress was still in one piece and admiring the way it skimmed her curves without clinging too much. The dress was a striking emerald green and her mask was silver, easily explaining the association with Slytherin, but Hermione had picked the colours to suit her hair and eyes. Plus her mother had bestowed them upon her, insisting that the muggle prom dress would suit the Yule Ball. Looking at her reflection in the mirror Hermione made a mental note to owl her mother at the next possible opportunity and admit that she had been right. As mothers usually are.

Mask back on and a small meal eaten in the quit of the prefect's bathroom Hermione rejoined her year and found a seat facing the dance floor. A slow song was playing and Hermione spotted Ginny dancing with Harry. She smiled to herself, glad she had left Harry earlier that night when she had. No matter what had happened in the past few years, the pair kept going back to each other. Ron wasn't too pleased at first, his best friend and his best sister was never an ideal coupling, but now he too admitted they were good together. Speaking of Ron, Hermione spotted him dancing with Lavender now and sighed. This plan had first come to her mind after she'd caught Ron and Lavender kissing one night on patrols. She'd been dating Ron at the time and her co-patrolling prefect at the time had to stop her from hexing both Lavender and Ron, no easy feat and possibly the reason behind her receiving a new prefect partner in Draco.

Another romantic song begun playing and Hermione groaned, she hated the couple songs, as she as always one of the girls sitting around the dance floor watching all the other couples and feeling more alone than ever. She was considering giving up and leaving, Ron and Lavender were being particularly nausea-inducing this evening, when she felt as if she was being watched. She glanced around her surreptitiously and finally found him. Half hidden in the shadows near the draped area, holding a drink and surveying her as a lion would a zebra. Hermione blushed and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She saw him smirk and take a sip of his drink. He was cool, calm and entirely controlled while she was reduced to a nervous wreck from him just watching her.

She was about to venture over to him when someone tapped her shoulder. She started slightly and looked round. Standing behind her was a tall, handsome Ravenclaw boy whose name Hermione did not know. She'd seen him in some of her classes, and knew he was particularly skilled at ancient runes and muggle studies, so she gladly smiled and accepted his invitation to dance. The romantic song ended just as they stepped onto the floor and was replaced by Johan Strauss' Vienna Waltz. Many couples pulled faces and left.

Hermione faltered, wondering if this boy would do the same. He too paused and turned to her. "Do you know how to waltz?" He asked. She nodded and he grinned. "Good, let's show them how it's done." She took the stance her father had taught her and allowed herself to be led in the dance she had grown up with. Her parents were big fans of classical music and from a young age she'd been taught to dance the typical ballroom styles. The waltz was by far her favourite and most practiced, and it showed. Her partner was also exceptionally good, earning them admiring, and envious, glances around the room.

As she was led around the room Hermione couldn't help but notice the boy from earlier was still watching her. He hadn't moved from his spot and his gaze was just as intense. She hoped he was from Slytherin, it was her last house and she didn't want to lose him just because of her determination to stick with her plan. The waltz ended and her partner stilled, bringing Hermione back from her reverie. She smiled at her partner and excused herself. She begun heading in the direction of her watcher only to realise that he'd moved from his spot when her attention had been diverted. Her shoulders sagged in regret and she headed into one of the empty booths.

She eased off her heels and was rubbing her aching feet when she realised she wasn't alone. Standing in the entrance of the booth was her watcher. His arms were crossed and he was surveying her with an intense curiosity. She froze, and simply stared at him. Up close he was mesmerising. He was wearing a black tuxedo with clover green piping and tie. The chances of him being from Slytherin looked promising. He had blonde hair and piercing eyes. He didn't speak, but simply dropped to one knee and helped her with her shoes before taking her hand and leading her back to the dance floor. Hermione willingly followed him, walking as if in a daze.

The song was fast paced and the dance floor was so full that Filch's personal space rules were impossible to keep, much to the student's joy and Filch's chagrin. Hermione vaguely registered the song as The Veronicas' _Take me on the Floor. _Hermione's mystery dance partner also took advantage of the tight space to mould his body to Hermione's. Usually she'd be incensed with rage but she found she didn't mind so much when it was him. "So tell me, why would a delectable woman such as yourself lower her standards to dance with a Gryffindor, a Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw when so many of your own have been practically stalking you for a dance?"

The question startled her. Firstly she hadn't been expecting him to speak to her, let alone shower her in compliments. Secondly, he also assumed she was a Slytherin while giving away his own house. Finally, she'd recognised his voice and she wasn't sure what to think any more. She swallowed nervously and simply smiled at him as the song ended and Dumbledore appeared at the top of the great hall.

"Students," he announced, "the time has come. It is now midnight and thus the masquerade has ended..."

He paused for dramatic effect and Hermione knew what would happen unless she did something drastic. She turned to her enigmatic partner and took his hand, pulling him closer to her. "Kiss me." She commanded. He looked startled and simply stared at her. "Kiss me." She said again, gently this time. He relaxed and seemed to enjoy the prospect. Just as Dumbledore declared that it was time for everyone to remove their masks Hermione's lips met her dance partners. As everyone around them revealed themselves, Hermione was still caught up in mystery. As the kiss ended and the pair broke apart they realised they still had their masks on. Hermione glanced around her, panicking, and back at her partner. He was watching her, a look of awe on his face.

Struck by an idea, Hermione took his hand and pulled him through the crowd until they were out in the grounds. "We remove our masks here." She told him. He nodded and reached up to remove his own mask. Hermione nodded as his identity was revealed. "I thought so." She smiled to herself, almost sadly. He frowned and made to take her mask off. She stepped back slightly but he caught her wrist and pulled her towards him. He smoothed her hair down from where the wind had ruffled it and kissed her slowly. She felt herself move into him and her eyes fluttered shut. As soon as they had, his hands moved up behind her head and took her mask off. As they broke apart Hermione's mask fell in between them. She caught his surprised face before running off back to the Gryffindor common room, ignoring Ron and Lavender arguing in the corridor - something she'd usually be only too happy to watch.

She made it to her bedroom before any of the other girls returned and got changed into her pyjamas. She was sat cross-legged on her bed when they came back, giggling about various boys and gossip. Hermione asked the right questions then went back to pretending she was engrossed in her book. However she kept touching her lips, remembering the two kisses she'd shared. How one boy had made her feel like that. She was surprised the others couldn't see it. She felt as if she'd been branded. _Property of Draco Malfoy_. But would he want her, now he knew who she really was?


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: so I'm going to attempt some character point of view switching in this chapter, let me know if I do it horrendously and I'll stick to a linear point of view.**

**Chapter Two**

Hermione spent the next week avoiding Draco as much as she could. Thankfully she only had potions and care of magical creatures with him, and she simply stuck with Ron and Harry in those lessons. Nobody confronted her about the Yule Ball and she hadn't heard anybody gossiping about it either, so she assumed that Draco had kept quiet about their kiss. Nobody else knew she'd been at the Yule Ball, not even Harry with whom she'd danced. Draco was the only one.

She sighed and slammed her book shut, causing Harry and Ginny to look up in surprise and concern. Hermione never slammed books; learning to her was the equivalent of quidditch to Harry. She smiled brightly at them although inside she was irritated with herself. "Are you okay Hermione?" A worried-looking Ginny asked, "I've never seen you that angry with a book before, what's up?"

_I haven't been able to stop thinking about Draco, or that kiss_, _that's what's up._ Was what she wanted to say, however she restrained herself - knowing all too well the response that sentence would receive - and waved a hand at her friend's concern. "I'm fine, just getting too frustrated over a particularly hard potion that's all."

"Hermione that's your copy of _Hogwarts, a History_." Harry helpfully pointed out. Ginny sniggered and Hermione blushed, gathering up her pile of books from the common room table and making towards the stairs.

"So it is! That would explain it. I must be tired, to not even notice. I guess I'll go to bed now. Goodnight!" Before her friends could object, or press her further on her uncharacteristic slip up she was closing the bedroom door tight, sagging with relief against it momentarily, and storing her books away before collapsing on the bed and sighing. This was so unlike her. She didn't get flustered by boys. She didn't think constantly about them and analyse everything. That was Lavender's job. And yet Draco was practically all she thought about. It was driving her insane.

She closed her eyes to try and clear her mind of him but only succeeded in falling asleep and dreaming of that night and what could have happened had she stayed behind. She slept fitfully and woke up wondering just what Draco thought of her.

_Draco_

For the tenth time that evening he shrugged a clinging Pansy off his arm and tried his hardest to keep his temper. His mother insisted he humour Pansy where possible as the Parkinsons were well respected in their circle. To upset Pansy would not do. "For the final time Pansy, I don't know what you mean. Maybe had you not been following me you _would_ have found a 'nice boy' to dance with at the Yule Ball."

"But Draco, you left with her. I _saw_ you with her. All I want to know is who she was."

Draco bit back a sharp remark and stood up, causing Pansy to drop her hand off his shoulder. "I'm going to bed, I suggest you drop this and do the same." Before she could respond he had stalked off to his bedroom and slammed the door shut, obviously signalling the end of their conversation. Draco knew Pansy would be holding back tears from his sharp words, but there was only so much he could pander to her whining. Besides he knew what would happen if he revealed Hermione as his mystery woman. Her life would be made a misery by Pansy and her cronies, let alone the rest of the school. And that was before he was affected. He wasn't sure what was worse.

Truthfully, he had always been somewhat attracted to the frizzy-haired muggle-born. Her brains and quick-wittedness had appealed to him when he'd first met her. Plus she had a fire of sorts behind her eyes. She was feisty, and he liked that in a girl. But then he'd found out her heritage and he knew there would be no way he could be with a girl who was of muggle parentage, no matter how good her magical skills were. It was a shame really, had she been pure blood they could easily have been the power couple and had great influence over the school. But they couldn't. And so he had taken to insulting her to repel her from him. Knowing it for the best as his world was not one she belonged in, even if it was something they both wanted.

And it had worked. Until the night of the Yule Ball anyway. He'd known her identity the moment she walked in the room. Despite himself he'd still been drawn to memorizing her features, her height, her hair, her eyes...he liked her eyes the most. He knew she was pretty but she'd been fully-fledged beautiful when she'd entered the room that night. Her dress complimented her figure in ways he didn't know clothes could and she took his breath away. He hadn't been able to keep from staring at her all night. He'd thought his cover had been blown when she caught him looking at her, surely she'd know who he was behind the mask? However it hadn't seemed to have been the case and she'd more than welcomed his advances up until the point he'd removed her mask during their second kiss. That had been a mistake, one which had cost him dearly.

Hermione had ignored him all week. The only chances he had to talk to her were in potions or care of magical creatures lessons and she was always glued to either Harry or Ron's side, knowing he wouldn't dream of approaching her when they were present. "You've really done it this time Draco," he told himself, running a hand over his face and sighing wearily, "You've really screwed things up for yourself."

He flopped down onto his bed and reached under the pillow. He drew out Hermione's masquerade mask and stared at it for a while before throwing it across the room. Blaise walked in the door and ducked, looking to where the mask landed and chuckling. "Lady trouble Malfoy? That's unlike you!" Draco glowered at him and Blaise picked up the mask. "Still not solved your Masquerade Cinderella mystery?" He asked, Draco nodded curtly and Blaise handed the mask back. "You need to use your connections, find out who she is and figure out a way to get her alone."

Draco paused, with his arm stretched out to take the mask from Blaise. "A way to get her alone you say? Blaise, I think you may have just helped me solve my first problem!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Blaise frowned and waved the mask in front of Draco's face. "Helloooo? Draco? Anybody in there?" Draco started and focused on his friend who smirked and continued. "Someone's got it bad. So what's your plan?"

Draco grinned and grabbed Hermione's mask off his friend. "That would be telling. But it will work. It will definitely work. But first there are some things I need to do. Goodnight Blaise." He tossed the mask onto his bed and left the bedroom, heading straight for a glum-looking Pansy. Draco took a deep breath and approached the scorned girl. "Pansy, I'm sorry about earlier. I'm just tired, I shouldn't have snapped at you though. To correct my error in behaviour I shall take your patrolling duties one night next week."

Pansy looked at him, delight flashing through her face. "Oh Draco I'm so glad you're not mad at me! I hate making you angry. You don't need to make anything up to me though; you don't have to do anything."

Draco had expected this, Pansy was so easy to read and, in times of need, manipulate. "I insist. Go fetch me your patrolling schedule and I shall see what night I can do." Pansy hesitated a moment before reaching behind her into her bag and withdrawing her patrolling timetable. Draco took it from her and quickly scanned the list of partners. Pansy had one patrol with Hermione on a Tuesday. Quidditch practise. Draco weighed it up in his mind; he didn't particularly want to miss Quidditch but then he wanted to get Hermione out of his head. He looked up at Pansy who was watching him carefully and forced a smile, "I'll do your Tuesday patrol."

"But that's with Hermione!" She all but shrieked. "You said you'd rather boil alive than go anywhere near that mudblood!"

He cursed inwardly. _Time to think fast Draco_. "The fact that I've voiced such aversion to her makes it all the more fitting that I patrol with her to correct my offence against you. And now I shall retire for the evening. Goodnight." He handed Pansy back her list and all but ran to the bedroom staircase. Once he was in bed he sighed and congratulated himself on a job well done. He'd been in trouble when Pansy had called him out on wanting to do a patrol with Hermione but, just like his father, Draco had been blessed with the ability to think on his feet - something which came in handy. He grinned to himself in the dark and rolled over, drifting into a dreamless sleep.

_Hermione_

Elsewhere in the castle Hermione lay wide awake cursing the boy who had vowed, unbeknownst to her, to get her alone. For the very reason that he hadn't pursued her. She buried around underneath her pillow until her fingertips hit a cold object. She seized it and pulled it out from its hiding place. It had been several years since she'd discovered mp3 players were technically allowed in the castle, provided they were used during free time. She scrolled through her songs until she found the perfect song for being frustrated with a boy. As Blondie's _Call Me_ filled her ears Hermione settled down slightly.

Most people at Hogwarts assumed that she'd read in times of stress or boredom however the truth was that music had helped Hermione through all manner of occasions. Most notably when she used to cast a muffling spell around her bed and blast angry, break-up songs late at night after Ron had left her for Lavender. Yes music helped her work through her emotions. It also helped her sleep and without even realising it, Hermione fell asleep with her music still playing quietly.

The next few days were uneventful for Hermione, although they passed quickly, and soon it was Tuesday night. Hermione changed into the muggle clothes they were allowed to wear outside of lessons and pinned her Prefects badge onto her necklace chain. She'd chosen a new silk blouse to wear that evening and didn't want the pin to damage the delicate material. She'd received it in that morning's post from her mother and it was simply too lovely to pass up wearing that evening. The shocking pink colour of the material was a wise choice by her mother and looked even more perfect teamed with the black jeans Hermione was wearing.

She was early at the pre-arranged meeting spot. At the beginning of the year all of the prefects met up and agreed a meeting spot for the nightly patrols, ensuring that the patrols started on time. Hermione was absentmindedly singing The Beatles to herself when a voice startled her.

"So the bookworm knows The Beatles. And one of their best too. I'm impressed Granger, not many people know _Blackbird_."

Hermione's eyes widened and she looked about. The corridor suddenly seemed even more deserted than it had five minutes ago and there was no sign of Pansy anywhere. "Where's Pansy? She's meant to be doing the patrol. These patrols are for Prefects, not just anyone who fancies it." She noticed Draco's eyes flicker, although she couldn't quite place the emotion in them before they were blank again, and he smirked, taking a step closer to her. He smirked even more when she took a step back in response and backed into a wall.

"I'm making something up to Pansy as you seem so interested. I also want to speak to you."

Hermione shivered in anticipation and transferred her gaze to the floor. "What about?" She heard Draco chuckle and felt him take her arm.

"All in good time. I believe we're supposed to walk around the castle on these patrols, correct?" Hermione nodded, confused at the change of subject and obviousness of the question. "Then we should be walking, should we not?" Hermione realised they'd been in the corridor for several minutes now and blushed. She allowed Draco to propel her forward and then broke free from his surprisingly light grip.

They walked in silence for some time, each of them taking cursory glances at each other whenever possible. As they rounded one particularly dark corner Hermione was certain Draco's hand grazed her own, but when they were in the light again he was acting as if nothing had happened and she decided she had to be imagining things. _Wistfully imagining things you shouldn't be imagining Hermione_ she scolded herself.

_Draco_

She looked annoyed. Was it because of what he did? He'd thought that she hadn't noticed. Perhaps she had and it was a step too far. No, she seemed indifferent to him. She was angry at herself. He frowned and watched her discretely. _Stupid girl Hermione, you're a complete idiot. Stop being ridiculous_. The words she was muttering to herself surprised him and he spoke without thinking. "You're not an idiot."

She stopped and started at him incredulously. "How did you hear me?" He said nothing for he was too busy cursing himself. "Wait, you're being nice to me. Why?" He sighed and reached in his pocket for something. Hermione's hand flew to her wand, tucked in her jean waistband. Draco laughed and pulled out a miniature version of Hermione's masquerade mask. "I don't want your sympathy and if you mock me I will hex you so hard you'll wish Moody had left you as a ferret."

His eyes darkened at the reference to their fourth year Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher but his anger towards Moody was quickly pushed aside. "I'm not here to mock you. And you of all people should know I don't _do_ sympathy. I do, however, have some questions for you. Why did you run?"

It was her turn to act guarded now. "Please, you would have found some way to alert everyone else that mudblood Hermione had thrown herself at you."

He paused, shocked at the bitterness in her voice. "That's what you think of me?" She nodded and it felt like a dagger through his heart. "Hermione," she looked up stunned at the use of her first name, "is there not something muggle mothers tell their daughters when a boy is picking on them? _He only does it because he likes you_" he parroted, taking a discrete step forward. "The more vicious I was towards you the more I wanted to do _this_..." Draco grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and pushed her backwards. She gasped, shocked by the sudden movement, and found his lips on hers with an urgency that would have definitely scared her had she not been matching it.

Draco felt Hermione responding enthusiastically and ran his tongue along her lips, seeking her permission. She opened her mouth, sighing blissfully, inviting him. He ran his hand up her back, enjoying her shivering and pressing up against him in response, to her hair and knotted his hands in it. She groaned slightly as he pulled her hair accidentally and leant away from him. "Sorry." He grimaced and she shook her head, laughing. "What's so funny?" He asked gruffly. He felt disorientated. Coming to do the patrol tonight he had not thought he'd make _this_ much progress with Hermione and now, just as he was releasing over a week's worth of tension she was _laughing_.

"I'm sorry it's just, this is crazy! If I went back to Gryffindor now and told Harry and Ron that we'd kissed they'd assume you'd got a sneaky hex in on me during my patrol."

Draco pulled away. "That's not funny. Why is the idea of us so absurd? Besides everyone knows people who read lots have good imagination." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Hermione snorted, but in a cute way.

"I'm serious. Think about it, if you revealed your feelings for me to anyone in Slytherin they'd probably take you to Snape and make him give you a potion for insanity."

"Don't be ridiculous. My feelings for you are not insanity. If you think so then that's the definition of insanity in this scenario." He dipped his head and gently kissed her.

_Hermione_

She ran her hands up his arms, gleefully feeling his strong arm muscles. _No wonder Ginny goes on about Harry's arms so much. Quidditch does wonders for them!_ She must have giggled again because Draco pulled away and frowned. "Sorry, I was just thinking about how wonderful Quidditch is on your muscles." Draco smirked and slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her tight against him. She shivered in delight, causing him to smirk more.

In the distance footsteps echoed down the corridor towards them and they sprung apart. Hermione straightened her blouse and smoothed down her hair. Draco simply turned to face the noise, as if he hadn't just had her pressed up against a wall kissing her desperately. The footsteps reached the corner just ahead of them as the pair resumed their patrol, attempting an air of nonchalance although Draco was significantly better at it than Hermione was.

Pansy turned the corner and feigned surprise. "There you are! Draco baby I told you that you didn't have to do the patrol for me. I know how uncomfortable this _mudblood_ makes you." She snarled at Hermione, who was glaring at the girl. Draco shifted uncomfortably.

"Pansy I said it was fine. Go back to the common room." Pansy opened her mouth to object but Draco silenced her with a look. "I said go." He commanded. Pansy simply nodded and retreated like a scolded puppy. Draco waited until Pansy's footsteps had fallen silent before turning to a tearful Hermione. "I'm sorry; those were her words not mine."

She kept her gaze on the floor. Her voice was quiet when she spoke. "You've called me that word before, so many times before. I'm such an idiot."

Draco's eyes widened in fear. No, she couldn't discount all he'd just said. He cursed Pansy, she ruined everything. He'd have to deal with her later. "Don't talk like that. You're not an idiot. If anything _I_ was the idiot for even thinking that word, let alone calling you it."

"No." She finally looked up at him, her eyes filled with pain and tears, and began to back away from him. He reached out to grab her hand and she quickened her pace. She stopped just before the corner which would lead her back to the Gryffindor common room. "This never happened." She whispered, disappearing round the corner and running back to the common room. It was almost empty, only Harry and Ron were downstairs playing wizard's chess. As usual Harry was losing badly. They both looked up when she burst in. Harry caught sight of the tears running down Hermione's face and started to stand up, but she ran past him and up the stairs to the girls' bedrooms, slamming the door behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I am _so_ sorry this has been a while in coming. It's been crazy busy here with articles to write and my summer temping job. Anyway to keep you going here's a quick update. Apologies because it is very short, but I had a little scene in my head today and simply had to write it down tonight. The song used in this update is Taylor Swift's "Forever and Always"

As the weeks progressed Hermione calmed down and had sought Draco out to give him a chance to explain properly what had happened. The turning point had come when she'd found a note in her muggle studies book from him, telling her he'd wait forever and always until she spoke to him again.

The first time she hadn't quite been over the anger she'd kept bottled up and had ended up telling Draco a lot of things which, although true, wouldn't have been easy for him to hear. The second time Pansy came up and ruined any chances of conversation and the third and final time Hermione had tried to speak to Draco he had simply ignored her attempts and walked past her into the classroom.

"...today we're going to be looking at certain muggle inventions. Now for this lesson only Dumbledore has allowed me to breach the muggle electronics barrier," Hermione grinned to herself here, wondering if Dumbledore knew she had found the small gap in the barrier which allowed her to listen to her IPod late at night, "and we are going to have a session exploring karaoke." Hermione and a few of the other muggle born students looked up in a mixture of dread and excitement as the professor wheeled out a karaoke machine. Those from wizarding families simply looked confused at the machine. Hermione allowed herself to zone out while the professor explained the function of the machine and only tuned back in when she heard her name being called out.

"Pardon professor?" She smiled, hoping the strict professor hadn't noticed her daydreaming.

"Yes, Miss Granger I was saying that perhaps you could demonstrate how a karaoke machine works exactly, given you didn't seem to find my explanation riveting enough." Hermione blushed, not used to being in trouble without Harry or Ron being the cause of it. "Just the one song should suffice."

Hermione balked. "Song, professor?"

"That's right. What better way to explain than a demonstration. Up front Granger." Sighing and knowing all too well that she would not be able to work her way out of this humiliation Hermione trudged to the front of the classroom and glanced through the list the professor gave her, made a selection and shut her eyes...

_Once upon a time I believe it was a Tuesday when I caught your eye  
We caught onto something, I hold on to the night  
You looked me in the eye and told me you loved me  
Were you just kidding cause it seems to me  
This thing is breaking down we almost never speak  
I don't feel welcome anymore, baby what happened please tell me  
Cause one second it was perfect and now you're half way out the door_

And I stare at the phone and he still hasn't called  
And you feel so low you can't feel nothing at all  
And you flash back to when he said forever and always  
And it rains in your bedroom everything is wrong  
It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone  
I was there when you said forever and always

Was I out of line did I say something way too honest  
That made you run and hide like a scared little boy  
I looked into your eyes; thought I knew you for a minute  
now I'm not so sure  
So here's to everything coming down to nothing  
Here's to silence that cuts me to the core  
Where is this going, thought I knew for a minute  
but I don't anymore

And I stare at the phone and he still hasn't called  
And you feel so low you can't feel nothing at all  
And you flash back to when he said forever and always  
And it rains in your bedroom everything is wrong  
It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone  
I was there when you said forever and always

You didn't mean it baby, I don't think so

Back up, baby back up, did you forget everything  
Back up, baby back up, did you forget everything

Back up, baby back up, please back up  
Back up, baby back up

Cause it rains in your bedroom everything is wrong  
It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone  
I was there when you said forever and always  
I stare at the phone and he still hasn't called  
And you feel so low you can't feel nothing at all  
And you flash back to when we said forever and always

And it rains in your bedroom everything is wrong  
It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone  
I was there when you said forever and always  
You didn't mean it baby, you said forever and always

She opened her eyes again to see most of the class staring at her. Even the professor seemed surprised, whether at the emotion in Hermione's voice or just her voice in general. _Nobody expects a bookworm to be musically talented_, she thought somewhat grudgingly. The only person who wasn't looking at her was Draco. Hermione stared at him discretely, trying to gage his response to her song choice. It was obviously directed at him, he'd have to be a fool to not realise so. All she could do was wait.

She didn't have to wait long. At the end of class she noticed him allowing her to leave slightly in front of him, and she didn't miss the whispered incantation either. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't her book bag ripping clean in half. As her books scattered across the floor and her pens ricocheted off the walls, Hermione cursed and dropped down to pick up her things. She also wasn't expecting Draco to be next to her, helping her. It was a surprise to the rest of the students too, some stopped and watched the pair pick up Hermione's things - wondering what was going on. Draco handed Hermione the last pen and helped her up. Once she was standing up he pulled her against him and gave her a lingering kiss. As he pulled away Hermione heard him whisper "When I say forever, I mean it." But before she could respond, to anything that had just happened, he'd disappeared among the crowd of students - all as stunned as she was.


	5. Chapter 5

She'd been waiting for it all day, expecting it for the rest of her classes. However, she was never going to be fully prepared for her friend's reaction to what had occurred in the corridor after muggle studies that day. She had, of course, been the talk of the school for the rest of the day. There were rumours that Draco had kissed her for a dare, Slytherins retorted by insisting Hermione must have slipped him a love potion somehow. Both were ridiculous, Hermione knew as much, but it didn't make it any easier hearing the cat calls and whispers that surrounded her as she walked around the castle.

Finally it was evening and Hermione sat waiting in the common room for Harry, Ron and Ginny to return from Quidditch practice. She hadn't seen them all day but she would've been surprised if they didn't already know what had happened earlier between her and Draco. She was attempting to read, having already snapped at a fourth year who dared to ask her about Draco's kissing spells and a third year who asked for her love potion recipe, when they traipsed in whispering heatedly. She closed her book and stood up as the approached her, pursing her lips nervously.

Ron was the first to speak. "So Hermione, how long have you been at it with the ferret?" He sneered, referring to their fourth year when Barty Crouch Jr masquerading as Mad Eye Moody had turned Draco into a ferret. The people at nearby tables raised their heads, breaking their own conversations to watch what was going to be a confrontation of epic proportions. Hermione faltered, she'd expected Ron to ask what Draco had done to her rather than immediately attack her. She'd never seen him so angry.

Harry, sensing her upset, placed a hand on Ron's shoulder and pulled him back slightly – forcing him into a chair. He turned to Hermione and spoke in a wary tone. "Tell us what happened." He shot her a small smile, meaning to reassure her, which tightened the knot in her stomach even further. She wasn't sure Harry could take her admitting feelings for his sworn enemy, Voldermort aside that was.

"We already know what happened Harry! She's been snogging him in the corridors!" Ron snapped, before falling silent at the glare Ginny threw his way. The trio turned to her again and she sunk back into her chair.

"It started at the masquerade ball,"

"But you didn't go to that!" Ginny cut in, surprised, "I came to see you after I got back and you were in your pyjamas."

"I went to the masquerade ball," Hermione countered, "in full masquerade. I wanted to prove that the house divisions were silly and we should all be friendly with each other -" Ron snorted at this "- regardless of what house we're in. I didn't tell anyone I was going, I dressed in secret. I wore colours nobody would associate with me and went to the ball. I danced with at least one boy from each house, not revealing who I was. I danced with you in fact, Harry." She smiled at him, hoping he'd remember dancing with anyone other than his now-girlfriend.

He blushed, obviously recalling their dances. "You wore a green dress and had a silver mask." He muttered. "I didn't even realise it was you."

She continued. "Draco got me to dance with him. When Dumbledore said to reveal our faces we went outside. I made Draco take his mask off first, to check I was right about who I'd been dancing with. When I was, I was hesitant to take my mask off. He'd assumed I was in Slytherin because of my dress. He tried to convince me to show him who I was. I refused and tried to leave. He…he grabbed my wrist and kissed me. He took my mask off while I was distracted. When he saw it was me I left before he could say or do anything. I'd been avoiding him until today. He cast a severing charm on my bag, making my books fall out of it. He picked some up to talk to me and we argued. Then he kissed me."

Looking up at her friends, Hermione saw a mixture of emotions on their faces. Ginny looked partially annoyed but also somewhat wistful, Harry looked confused still while Ron simply looked furious.

"Okay so the git has kissed you twice. That's fine; we'll walk you to your classes and tell him to bugger off if he comes near you." Ron said, having decided that there was no way Hermione could actually _like_ Malfoy, a grin breaking out on his face.

Ginny glanced at Hermione sceptically. "That's not all is it though Hermione?" Hermione's eyes widened in shock, wondering what was going to come next, "I think you enjoyed it. I think you actually like him."

Hermione lowered her gaze again, silently confirming Ginny's suspicions. Harry and Ron shared appalled looks before Ron stormed out of the common room. Hermione went to go after him but Harry stopped her. "Don't," he told her, "he'll only be angry at you. I'll go and calm him down."

Hermione watched the second of her best friends leave the common room and sighed, running a hand over her face wearily. "What am I going to do Ginny? My head's all messed up and I don't know what game Draco's playing."

Ginny stared at her silently for a while before taking her hand and pulling her towards the girls' dorms. "I have an idea, come with me."


	6. Chapter 6

"I don't know about this Ginny…" Hermione glared at her friend through the mirror she was now facing. Ginny was standing behind her, hairbrush in one hand and detangling potion in the other, pondering Hermione's frizzy hair.

"Draco is playing games with you, so why not have some fun yourself?" Ginny said, grinning wildly and spraying some potion onto Hermione's hair. "We make you even more gorgeous, make the other guys here take note and make him jealous. It's the oldest trick in the book!"

Hermione laughed at the excited flush creeping onto Ginny's face. "How muggle of you, Ginny, this is the plot of several hundred muggle movies, you know that right?"

"And does it work, in all these films?"

Hermione paused, she wasn't really the kind of girl who watched rom-coms but she had endured them on several occasions when spending time with her cousins. "Most of the time it works, usually after a fair bit of confusion and pointless arguments, but yes it usually works. Why, are you planning on getting hold of some over Christmas holidays and making a mission plan?"

Ginny's grin grew wider as she dragged the hairbrush through Hermione's hair.

"Ginny, no, did you not hear the part where I said it worked out _after_ a fair bit of _confusion_ and _pointless arguments_?"

"Yes, I did hear that part. But what's a love game without a bit of fun?" The brush snapped in half, stuck in Hermione's hair, and Ginny sighed as she waved her wand to remove it from the entangling curls. "First on the mission plan is to sort your hair out." She muttered, glaring savagely at the hair that had become even frizzier since she'd started out with the brush.

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

"Mum, Hermione's here!" Fred's voice echoed around the house and a flustered Mrs Weasley came running out of the kitchen to welcome Hermione.

"Hermione dear, welcome back. How was your holiday with your parents?"

"It was fine thank you Mrs Weasley, is Ginny here?" Hermione smiled at the fussy woman, who was currently attempting to wave aside Hermione's refusal to call her by her first name, clean the table from that morning's breakfast and recall where her only daughter was.

"Hermione!" A flash of long red hair was all Hermione saw before she was choking from her friend's enthusiastic hug. Mrs Weasley grinned and watched as the pair left to take Hermione's things upstairs, chattering at such high speed it was a wonder they understood each other.

Ginny waited until they were in her room before turning on Hermione. "Did you bring them?" She asked, eying up Hermione's bag. Hermione snorted. "What?" Ginny demanded, placing her hands on her hips and eyebrow raised questioningly.

"You make it sound like I've smuggled drugs in with me Ginny. They're only DVDs." Regardless, Hermione opened her trunk and handed Ginny a few DVDs she'd convinced her cousins to lend her. They had been thrilled, deciding Hermione was embracing her feminine side at long last, and had given her the best of their collection. "Did you get the laptop from your dad?"

Ginny rolled her eyes and nodded. "He nearly had a fit in his excitement. I endured an hour long lecture about the wonders of muggle technology to get this. But I don't understand how that disc is meant to fit in here, do we take something off?"

Hermione laughed and took the laptop from Ginny, who had been turning it upside down as it trying to find a hidden switch to take the DVD. "Let me." She said, picking a DVD at random and setting it up. One silencing charm and barricaded door later and the pair were settled with _Clueless, She's All That, Cinderella Story _and _The Princess Diaries_.

Several hours on, and a Weasley dinner out of the way, Ginny sat Hermione down in the middle of her room and paced a circle around her. Hermione shifted nervously in her seat, making Ginny smirk and spend even longer pacing. Eventually Ginny went to her wardrobe and began pulling out different top, skirts and dresses. Hermione winced at the lack of trousers in the growing pile of clothes on Ginny's bed. Next to the clothes, went the make up and various hair potions.

Finally done, Ginny slipped a blindfold onto Hermione's eyes and begun humming a muggle song. Hermione shivered as she felt various hair potions tingle on her scalp, and tried not to cry out as Ginny used comb after comb on her hair. Finally, and with a triumphant cry, Ginny stopped dragging the combs through Hermione's hair and removed the blindfold. Looking back at Hermione in the mirror was a girl with soft curls that wound elegantly over her shoulders rather than frizz out all around her face. Ginny pointed to the table next to the mirror and Hermione laughed. There was a small pile of bent and snapped combs as well as several empty potion bottles.

"I hope you know the spells for this, or at least have a secret fortune stacked away for the potions. Blimey 'Mione, I didn't think it would need that much!" They exchanged looks in the mirror and giggled. At that moment Mrs Weasley knocked on the door, asking the girls to keep quiet and get some sleep. Tomorrow was Christmas. Ginny smirked at Hermione. "Tomorrow may be Christmas but it's also your first full made-over day." Before Hermione could say anything, Ginny had moved the pile of clothes from her bed to Hermione's trunk and dived under the covers. Hermione had no choice but to turn the lights off and get settled in her own bed, swallowing down the nervousness she felt considering Ginny had total control of her wardrobe for tomorrow. Hermione groaned, that was the last time she signed over such things to her best friend during an ice cream high.


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione awoke ridiculously early the next day, much to her disgust. Ginny, who had woken Hermione up by jabbing at her with her foot, merely beamed at her friend before pointing to an outfit laid out next to Hermione's bed and skipping out of the door. Hermione groaned when she saw the clothes - or lack of them - that Ginny intended her to wear. _So much for my hopes of a gradual transformation_ Hermione mumbled to herself, reluctantly slipping into the dress and wincing as she saw how the satin material clung to her in the very places she sought to conceal. The burnt orange colour did, she begrudgingly conceded, suit her very well. Shoving her hair into its customary bun, Hermione risked one last look in the mirror before making her way downstairs, dreading the reaction from those already in the kitchen.

Unusually, it was Ron who noticed her first. With a clatter his fork fell from his hand, sending his eggs splattering over the table, which led, of course, for the rest of the Weasleys and Harry to look up from their own breakfasts to see what exactly had distracted Ron so much he'd damaged his food. Hermione nervously took in their shocked faces and blushed under their scrutiny. Thankfully Ginny, who had perhaps not been expecting _such_ a response to Hermione's transformation, leapt up just as Ron opened his mouth to make a remark and dragged her friend down into the empty chair next to her. Harry, who was sitting on the other side of Ginny, leant around his girlfriend and gave Hermione a thumbs up. Hermione snorted at his typical response; non-verbal and ever so slightly goofy.

Opposite her, Ron was still staring as if he'd never seen Hermione before. Hermione bit back the impatience she felt with him - _honestly it's like fourth year all over again _- and smiled at him. "Ronald could you pass the croissants please?" Ron simple stared even harder and Hermione began to wonder if Ginny hadn't somehow made her part Veela overnight. Honestly, he was being ridiculous.

Fred reached past his gawping brother and handed Hermione the basket of pastries, grinning as he did at his brother's reaction to his crush appearing all dressed up. Well, he reasoned, it was quite unexpected but no reason to make the poor girl uncomfortable. In fact Fred, and possibly every young male Weasley seated at the table already, wanted to make Hermione very comfortable indeed. Comfortable and somewhere entirely more private than the family kitchen. Fred shook his head slightly to clean his mind from where it had been straying and elbowed Ron sharply in the ribs. "Stop staring little brother, she's beginning to think she's grown a second head from the way you're looking at her." Ron glared at Fred and shovelled entirely far too much egg into his mouth, causing a slightly revolting overspill which Hermione averted her eyes from.

The next few hours passed rather uneventfully, with present exchanges and a Christmas dinner, before Hermione first experienced exactly what her new look could achieve. She had just gone into the kitchen to refill her drink when a slightly nervous cough sounded from behind her. Hermione looked in the mirror just above the kitchen sink - Molly's way of preventing the twins from pranking her - and saw Charlie Weasley standing in the doorway. She smiled slightly and turned to face him. Charlie had returned for the first Christmas in a while and Hermione was able to very much appreciate the way in which working with dragons had toned him in all the best places. Most men would go to desperate lengths to have arms like Charlie's - the perfect mix between muscled and toned - and here he was gaining them through working a job he loved.

Hermione wondered if he'd sought her out specifically. His drink had been full when she'd left the room, there was no glass in his hand now and Mrs Weasley had set a buffet up for them quite recently so hunger was also not a viable option for his presence in the kitchen.

"Did Mrs Weasley ask you to come and find me?" She asked, turning back to the tap and refilling her drink. Above her head she watched Charlie gaze at her a moment before strolling over to where she stood. She felt his hands on her waist and gasped as she was spun round to face him. In the dimming light his face was shadowed in a rather attractive way, Hermione mused to herself. Charlie had just dipped his head down to kiss her when someone's footsteps reminded them exactly where they were and what they were about to do. Charlie took a confused step back and shot Hermione a rueful look as Ginny came running into the kitchen. She stopped short when she saw Charlie and a flustered Hermione. Charlie mumbled some kind of excuse before leaving. Ginny said nothing until his footsteps had died away.

"So...?" The smirk on Ginny's face made it clear that a 'oh nothing' from Hermione would not cut it as an answer.

"He nearly kissed me." She admitted, unable to stop herself from smiling and blushing as she remembered the look in his eyes as he watched her.

Ginny squealed. "See, my plan worked. Don't you just love me?" She giggled.

"I'd love you a whole lot more if you'd actually let me kiss Charlie before bursting in," Hermione muttered, more to herself than Ginny. Ginny snorted.

"Plenty of time for that dear Hermione, plenty of time. Mum wanted everyone back anyway...something about job letters?"

Hermione gasped; she'd forgotten Dumbledore had told them they'd receive their job mentor appointments over the holidays. She hadn't expected to get them Christmas day though. Hermione hurried back into the next room and took the envelopes Charlie was offering her, not even noticing that Ron and Harry only had one envelope each. She hastily broke the Hogwarts seal on the top letter and read it, desperate to see who she'd been given.

_Dear Miss Hermione Granger,_

_Further to discussions with the rest of staff, I can inform you that your mentor regarding future employment is __**Professor Remus Lupin.**_

_Your first appointment is Monday 17__th__ at 7:30pm_

_Happy holidays._

_Yours Sincerely_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Hermione let out a squeak of delight and showed the boys her letter. They had, much to their disgust, ended up with Snape as their mentor. Ron kicked the nearest chair to him and groaned as the pain hit him, distracting everyone enough for Hermione to open her second letter.

_Hermione,_

_Meet me in an hour in the library._

_Charlie_

Hermione blushed and hid the letter away behind her Hogwarts one, realising Ron's pain was beginning to subside. She tried to remain casual when she announced she was going to the library half an hour later, having decided to leave earlier than Charlie suggested in order to avoid suspicion when both of them disappeared within minutes. Ron begun to raise from his chair, as if to offer to go with her, when Ginny pushed him back down and demanded a game of Wizard's Chess - an obvious plot to distract the youngest brother - leaving Hermione free to escape alone.

Once in the library she browsed the few bookshelves, looking for something to interest her. She found an old, battered copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ and begun rereading her favourite book, settling down in front of the dusty fireplace. She barely noticed the time go by and only remembered her purpose for being in the library when she heard a noise, breaking her concentration, and saw Charlie shutting the door behind him. Nervously, she shut her book and placed it on the floor beside her.

Charlie smiled at her, as if sensing the bundle of nerves her inside had suddenly become. He took three steps into the room, easily making it to her side with his long strides, and offered her his hand. As soon as she had accepted his hand she was up on her feet, banging into him. Blushing and stammering Hermione begun to apologise profusely only to be cut off by Charlie's lips crashing down onto hers.

When he finally pulled away, leaving a slightly dazed Hermione staring up at him, he grinned somewhat sheepishly. "Sorry, I've wanted to do that since I saw you at breakfast this morning." He admitted. Hermione nodded mutely and he continued. "I know you're meant to just be Ron's friend to me but you look bloody gorgeous, especially in that dress. It makes me wish I'd been around more over holidays, I could've snapped you up before any of those Hogwarts boys got a clue. I suppose one of the lucky buggers already has, snapped you up I mean?" Hermione slowly shook her head, not entirely sure where this was going. Charlie broke into a broad grin. "Good," he declared, stepping back towards her, "that means it doesn't matter so much when I do this..."

Before she could ask what he meant he was wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him, capturing her lips with his once again. As she enjoyed the kiss, a small voice in Hermione's head popped up. _This is meant to be about getting Draco_. Hermione suddenly realised that right then, kissing Charlie Weasley in the family library, she didn't particularly care about Draco or the plan. She was enjoying kissing Charlie far too much to care about either of those things.


	8. Chapter 8

The next few days were spent being pulled into dark corners or secluded rooms for secret snogs with Charlie. Hermione was very much enjoying herself. She wasn't entirely sure if Charlie had admitted anything to any of his brothers as none of them said anything to her but she did catch the twins exchanging looks every time Charlie sat next to her at a meal, and Ron keep shooting wistful looks at her. Still, she reasoned, it could just be the new clothes doing that.

Ah yes, the new clothes. Hermione had hoped Ginny had picked a slightly over the top dress for Christmas and that would be it, but she hadn't. For the week after Christmas Ginny had a range of outfits selected for Hermione starting with a red silk pin-tuck dress and ending in a teal shift dress.

She had been permitted to keep one pair of jeans before Ginny had thrown away the rest of Hermione's trousers - bearing no mind whatsoever to the freezing weather - but even they had been hidden from her until she satisfied Ginny's dresses and skirts requirements. Most mornings Ginny did Hermione's make up for her, as she was still hopeless doing it herself, but her hair had been beaten into submission and was now generally a lot less frizzy without the use of potions or spells.

She was snuggled up to Charlie late in the afternoon on the day before she was due to return to Hogwarts when he broached the subject both of them had left well alone all Christmas.

"So...what now? Not right this minute now, I mean the future now. What do we do in the future, what happens to this..." he struggled to find the right word to describe what exactly they had, "this thing?" He finished somewhat lamely and avoided looking at her as she digested his question and finally thought about exactly what had been going on.

"Well, what do you want to do about it?" She asked, tentatively placing her hand on his knee. He sighed and she made to move her hand away. Before she could, Charlie took it off his knee but kept it encased in his own large hands. Like her, he too considered things he had before been only too happy to ignore before replying.

"I could write to you?" He suggested, testing the waters. When she smiled he continued, emboldened by her positive response. "I could maybe visit you the odd weekend and take you to Hogsmeade. If you wanted to I mean, I'm not forcing you to anything." Charlie blushed, which Hermione found rather endearing, and fell silent.

"I think I'd like that." She whispered into his shoulder. Charlie beamed at her and delightedly kissed the top of her head before jumping up as his mother's voice ran throughout the house asking for him. He rolled his eyes to Hermione and left the room, leaving her to sift through exactly what had just happened before she had to join the rest of the house for dinner.

"So not only have I enabled you this amazing new look by donating clothes, but I have also provided you with a rather handsome man friend." Ginny summarised when she finally found an empty coach for her and Hermione on the Hogwart's Express.

"Well you didn't really give me Charlie. And he's not a man friend, that makes him sound sordid or something. We're just friends." She finished weakly.

"Yeah sure, friends who spent all of the holiday snogging in various rooms of the house. Did you think I hadn't worked out where you two were disappearing to all the time?"

"Who's Granger been snogging?" Their coach door had opened during their exchange and Pansy was standing in the doorway with a sneer on her face. Ginny flushed an angry red and rounded on her.

"Charlie Weasley, remember him Pansy? He's the one you were dithering about at the Triwizard Tournament a few years ago." Pansy's usually pale face flushed slightly and she stormed away from the coach, leaving Ginny and Hermione alone again until Luna came into their coach.

"Hello. Pansy said you've been kissing Charlie Weasley. I can't say I blame you. He works with dragons you know." Her dreamy voice made Hermione feel rather foolish but Ginny just snorted.

"Of course she knows. She's spent most of her Christmas with him."

"Oh have you? Do you know if he's found any snurkles near dragon eggs?"

Hermione and Ginny stared at her blankly. Hermione gave in first and reluctantly asked what they both wanted to know. "What are snurkles?"

"They're egg snatchers of course. They're particularly fond of dragon eggs but they have a nasty bite on them. They like the taste of human flesh." Ginny stuffed her fist in her mouth to mask her giggles while Hermione gazed in wonder at their friend. How did she come up with this stuff? "But I guess Charlie would be able to fight them if he had to. He is rather strong, isn't he?" Hermione nodded, not trusting herself to speak. They fell into silence until the train pulled into the station and Hermione met up with a disgruntled Ron and Harry.

"I don't see why we had to let you and Ginny go off alone. Why couldn't we come with you"? Ron complained as they found a Thestral carriage to take them up to the castle.

"Because Ron, we had things we wished to discuss alone. Unless you want to hear about your sister's dating life in startling detail that is?" Ron grimaced and Harry shot Hermione a panicked look. She waited until Ron had turned away from them before reassuring him. "Don't worry, we were talking about me but I knew Ron wouldn't drop it otherwise." The relief on Harry's face nearly made Hermione break out in laughter but she held back, awestruck as she always was by the first view of the castle.

"So students, I bid you welcome to another year at Hogwarts. May I please remind you that, as with every year, the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all students. With that, let's eat."

Dumbledore waved his hands and food appeared on the plates in front of them. Hermione was part way through taking food for her own plate when a large horned owl landed on her outstretched arm. Hermione's eyes widened, aware that a lot of people were now looking at her. Nobody received post on the first night. Not even the Patil twins who had very protective parents. Much to her chagrin Hermione was sitting within view of the Slytherin table and she could see Draco discretely watching her. As quickly as she could she relieved the owl of its letter and tucked it in her robes before continuing with dinner as if the event hadn't happened. Ron poked her with his fork.

"Aren't you going to open it?"

"Oh I'm sure it can wait a bit longer Ron. If it was urgent I'd know." She smiled at him as best as she could. It had been Charlie's handwriting on the envelope. She hoped the boys hadn't noticed it. A few spaces down the table Ginny caught Hermione's eye and raised her eyebrows at her. "Later." Hermione mouthed to her before turning back to her plate and snappily rejecting Ron's pleas for her to open the letter. Finally as they entered the common room she'd had enough.

"It is _my_ letter Ron. I do not have to open it for you, nor do you have any right to know who it's from or what it says. I don't pester _you_ when someone writes you a letter, do I?" She demanded, crossing her arms and shooting him a dangerous look. His mouth, opened ready to defend himself, snapped shut and he spun on his heel heading straight for the boy's dorms.

Harry sighed. "You don't have to tell us Hermione but you could've gone easy on him. Surely you know how he feels about you?"

Tears pricked at Hermione's vision. "I am aware Harry but that doesn't mean he can demand to know my business. I should've known you'd take _his_ side." Before Harry could even stop her she had run up the stairs to the girl's dorm and slammed the door shut behind her.

One of the perks of being head girl was that they let you have your own bedroom in your house tower. Relishing the privacy Hermione locked the door and prodded the small fireplace. Another perk was that you got to decorate your bedroom as you wished. Hermione's head girl bedroom was done up in the standard Gryffindor colours with a bay window, small fireplace and a few bookshelves as well as the required furniture. Her bed was bigger than she really needed but it felt such a luxury to have a double bed all to herself that Hermione hadn't wanted to transfigure it into something smaller, opting instead to update the heavy maple frame into a lighter colour and replacing the musty bed sheets with purple and silver ones similar to the ones she had at home. Placing the letter on the corner desk Hermione quickly unpacked her clothes and showered before changing into her pyjamas and settling down onto the antique cream and brown chaise lounge in front of the fire with Charlie's letter.

_Hermione,_

_I'm sorry to be sending this on the first night back. I am aware my owl will be quite alone in the great hall and apologise for any discomfort or embarrassment I may cause you by doing so. However it is most strange to be home for another night without you. I keep pacing around the house hoping you will suddenly appear and pull me into the library, or perhaps the cloakroom, for a kiss before bed. I'm driving mother quite mad with my pacing, she's already threatened to scar me worse than any dragon I work with. Well, I'm sure you can imagine what she's being like. She does like to fuss._

_I find it infuriating that the majority of my brothers and Ginny get to spend so much time with you when I've had so little. I know it is sudden but would I be able to see you on your first Hogsmeade weekend? If you are able to, message me when you know the date of the trip and I'll book some much-owed holiday time. It's ridiculous how much I miss little things about you. I miss the way your hair tickles my chin when we hug, the way you giggle when I grab you around the waist and pull you backwards into a room or corner._

_Huh, listen to me coming over all soppy and emotional after less than a day. I'm probably terrifying you, you bewitching woman. I can't stand it though. We didn't really have a chance to say goodbye properly, what with all the commotion after the twin's stupid joke and having to find a new way to the station. I hope you read this before midnight otherwise my plan will go to ruin. At midnight, I will fly up to your window - I know you got made head girl and unless they've changed the location I know where the Gryffindor head girl bedroom is - to see you. To say a proper goodbye before I leave for Romania tomorrow._

_Let me know if you think this is a terrible idea and I won't come._

_Charlie_

Hermione re-read the last paragraph several times before the clock alerted her to the fact it was midnight. She leant over and opened the bigger of the two bedroom windows, hoping Charlie was right about them not changing the location of the room. Sure enough within minutes of her opening the window Charlie Weasley quickly and quietly flew in her open window, locked it again, drew the curtains and pulled her into a delectable kiss.

Hermione leant against him and smiled against his lips. "This feels more like a hello kiss than a goodbye one." She whispered when they eventually pulled apart. "A goodbye kiss is meant to be more tragic between people like us. More reluctant and tinged with sadness at parting."

Charlie grinned at her and winked. "Guess I'll have to practise until I get it right then, won't I?"

She giggled and pointed to her chaise lounge, enlarging it with wandless magic. "Stay here tonight, we'll have a real goodbye kiss tomorrow."

Charlie grinned roguishly at her and lowered his voice to a huskier tone. "Why Hermione, whatever are you planning on doing with me locked up in this private room?"

He was met with rolling eyes and a gently push back. "Nothing like that, that's for sure. Honestly Charlie I just want to spend some time with you before you go back to Romania. As lovely as kissing you is I can't exactly learn everything about you through that. Let's just talk." He pouted at her and she relented slightly. "Fine, let's talk and kiss. Better?"

Her eyes fluttered closed as he gently pressed his lips to hers. "Much better." He whispered before kissing her again.


	9. Chapter 9

_Author's note: For those who have read thus far and are now going "woah, woah, WOAH! This is meant to be about Draco and Hermione - not Charlie and Hermione" fear not! I promise you this is staying as a Dramione fic; I'm not changing my mind halfway through. This is all part of my plot so don't give up on it if you're being put off by Charlie/Hermione moments because now they're back at Hogwarts our lovely Hermione will be seeing more of Draco._

It was in the early hours of the morning that Hermione begrudgingly woke Charlie up. They'd fallen asleep mere hours ago, Charlie taking up the chaise for a bed, after spending what seemed like forever talking. Hermione found she was beginning to doubt the Draco plan as her feelings for Charlie were beginning to cloud the original simplicity of it. Reluctantly he'd retrieved his broomstick from underneath the window and left just before breakfast, leaving her with a lingering kiss that truly said goodbye.

If the boys noticed her slightly sombre mood at breakfast they didn't say anything, talking instead about the new Quidditch season and the try-outs Harry would be holding that afternoon. Ginny slid into the seat next to Hermione and nudged her discretely. "So?" She asked, referring to the letter Hermione had received last night.

Hermione smiled faintly and, whispering, relayed the details of last night to her. Ginny raised her eyebrows and let out a lot whistle.

"Took him a lot of restraint to not do anything, if you know what I mean..." She let the sentence trail off, the innuendo filling the pause in their conversation before Hermione blushed profusely.

"He's not like that Ginny. He's a _gentleman_." She spluttered, drawing Ron and Harry's attention.

"Who's a gentleman?" Ron asked, intrigued as ever regarding Hermione's life. Harry grinned and Hermione wondered if he'd guessed or Ginny had told him what was going on, either way it was obvious Ron was the only one who didn't know what had happened between her and Charlie over Christmas.

"What? Oh nothing Ronald, it's none of your business. Just like last night." Her voice got higher at the end of her sentence, reminding him that she hadn't forgotten about their argument last night. Ron had the good nature to blush and look sheepish but refused to drop the matter.

"Who are you talking about though? You haven't had the time to meet anyone new and we'd know if it was someone from here, so who is he? Have you got some secret lover boy Mione?"

She was about to retort when Pansy's voice came screeching across the great hall. "Oh for goodness sakes Weasley, it's your brother!"

Ron squinted, running through a mental list of his siblings and the likelihood of them being involved with his ideal girl. Finally, through a mixture of pity and annoyance, Hermione snapped. "Charlie, Ron, the gentleman is _Charlie_."

Ron paled. "But...but you only met him at Christmas. You didn't have..." He trailed off as realisation finally hit him. "All the times you went to the library. Mum thought he'd met some girl in the village the way he was always gone. Fred and George said you must be giving him muggle tips the way you were having secret conversations at dinner. But you weren't." He turned to Harry and Ginny. "Why do you two not look surprised? Surely you didn't know!"

Harry squirmed uncomfortably. "I caught them once, they were in the library and I'd left a letter I was writing to Ginny in there. They didn't see me and they hadn't said anything so I kept quiet."

Ron turned to his sister. "And you?"

"I found out on the train here but had my suspicions by the way they were disappearing all the time. Not to mention the way Charlie's eyes would widen and light up every time she'd walk into the room." Ginny shrugged at the appalled look on Ron's face. "They're happy, don't make a fuss Ron. If you wanted Hermione you should've asked her out ages ago; you've had way more chance than anyone else."

Ron reddened but said nothing further, although he refused to talk to Hermione until he needed her help in potions.

It was a few days later when she had her first run in with Malfoy. She hadn't been particularly looking forward to it, although she knew it had to happen eventually. She was still conflicted about whether or not she still had feelings for her.

At first she thought he wouldn't talk to her, but he dropped into his usual seat next to her in muggle studies and stiffly said hello to her as he had taken to doing just before Christmas. She wondered if Pansy had told him which Weasley brother she was involved with.

"So how's your dragon keeper?" He whispered halfway through their professor's introduction to the new term.

"Fine." Hermione hated talking while a professor was and hoped Draco would drop it.

"It won't last you know." He said when it was obvious she wasn't going to say anything further.

Hermione felt her cheeks becoming flushed and fought the desire to kick him under the desk. "And why exactly is that?"

"Because as exciting as you might find him, you know deep down he won't be able to match me. You'll be swapping red for blonde in no time." He smirked as he gave his retort, enjoying the look of angry shock on her face. Before she could reply they were set work to do.

Hermione busied herself searching for a new quill in her bag in order to avoid Draco and calm down. How _dare_ he be so cocky? Still, if Ginny was here right now she'd be informing Hermione this was jealousy talking. Hermione grinned to herself and decided to test the theory.

"Why exactly do you care so much if what Charlie and I have lasts?" She asked as casually as she could. As she'd expected - and half hoped - Draco's usually pale face was slightly more pink than usual when he responded.

"Just warning you Granger, that's all." She gave him a look that clearly said she didn't believe him. He wilted under her gaze and needlessly dropped his voice to a whisper. "Fine. I don't understand or believe that you can go so quickly from quite happily kissing me to him. What exactly did the female Weasley do to you over Christmas? I've noticed the clothes are new and more like what she wears so don't pretend it's nothing."

"I just wanted a new look, that's all Malfoy."

"And did dragon boy decide he wanted you before or after you became all shiny and newly wrapped?" He taunted, sensing that this would be her weak spot. As much as he had feelings for her he was still an expert at manipulating feelings. Besides, despite himself he couldn't help but be jealous. He'd seen Charlie Weasley at the Tri-Wizard tournament and knew exactly why Hermione, or most girls to be honest, would like him. Not to mention how much Pansy droned on about him for weeks afterwards.

Hermione said nothing and turned as far away from him as she could, refusing to speak to him for the rest of the lesson. As they packed up at the end Draco grabbed her wrist before she could run away from him. She hovered, unsure of how to respond, and he pulled her back to their desk gently. They were alone in the classroom now, their professor choosing to not wait for them to leave before heading for lunch.

"What?" She spat at him, although the venom that should have been there was lacking from her voice. In fact she sounded as if she'd suddenly developed a cold. He waited, uncertain of what to do. She sniffed and it was then he noticed her shoulders were lightly shaking. "What do you want Malfoy?"

He quickly walked round so he could see her face. She didn't even bother to hide it from him, staring back defiantly as he took in her tear stained face. The fact she'd reverted back to using his last name bothered him more than it should.

"Don't cry," he pleaded, suddenly at a loss of what to do, "don't cry Hermione. I...I'm sorry." She hiccupped, not expecting the apology from him. "I didn't mean what I said, I was angry."

She regarded him suspiciously. "Why were you angry though?"

He sighed, giving up his last shred of pride when it came to her, and took her hand again, feeling encouraged when she didn't recoil from his touch. "I was angry because I wanted you. The thought of _him_ kissing, touching, you makes me want to go live with Moaning Myrtle."

Hermione's eyes widened but she remained silent, fuelling his anger.

"Are you happy now? I bloody like you, alright? I'm infatuated, intoxicated, obsessed, whatever you want to call it. I haven't been able to get you out of my head all Christmas. I broke one of the busts in the common room when Pansy informed me what Ginny had told her on the train. _I _want to be the one holding you, _I_ want to be the one kissing you and making you do that stupid giggly thing you do when you talk to Ginny about him. I damn well love you Granger and it's infuriating to hear you talk about him, to imagine you with him."

Draco appeared to run out of things to say then, shocked into silence by his own confession having never fully admitted it to himself, let alone anybody else. Hermione's eyes grew even wider and she shook her head a little, as if horrified by what he'd just said. Feeling he had no choice other than to stand there in the ego-crumbling silence he grabbed Hermione's waist and pulled her flush up against him. She squeaked but didn't try and pull away from him.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her voice now thick for an entirely different reason.

He didn't give her a proper answer. Instead and cupped her chin, lifting her head so she was looking in his eyes. He felt her shiver at how dark they'd become - filled with lust for the witch he was so smitten with - and smirked. He knew she couldn't have moved on from him so quickly, she was oh so more complicated than that. He lifted one hand and gently stroked her cheek, revelling in the softness of her skin against his slightly worn hands. Hermione never looked away from his eyes. If she was honest, although he was passionate, Charlie had never looked at her like that - the way Draco was looking at her. It made her feel a mixture of uncomfortable and exhilarated.

In a way she was expecting it. Nevertheless when Draco pushed her against the wall and finally kissed her she let out a gasp of surprise. He nipped her lip and pulled it gently, emitting a soft moan from her. He smirked and continued assaulting her lips with his, not caring if all of Hogwarts burst into the room. He'd wanted this for nearly a month now and nobody was going to stop him.

In a similar way to when Charlie first kissed her, Hermione had a little voice in the back of her head going '_but what about Charlie?_' However Draco's kisses were making her dizzy and in her lust-filled state she pushed the voice away until Draco moved away to allow them both to breathe. It was only then that the full realisation of what had just happened hit her. She pointed at Draco, her hand shaking. "You shouldn't have done that. I'm with Charlie, you _know_ that."

Draco regarded her dishevelled form and felt her slipping through his fingers once again. He slowly placed his hands on her arms and looked her calmly in the eyes. "Hermione, you didn't stop me. He can't mean that much to you if you couldn't stop me at all. You didn't even try to. You responded in exactly the opposite way you would have, had you been so keen to stop me."

Hermione shook her head, guilt now flooding her entire body. "No, no. I was surprised that's all. I got carried away." Tears filled her eyes and Draco longed to kiss her again, to kiss every tear from her face. He knew he had to be gentle with her.

"You weren't surprised Hermione, you know that as well as I do. You wanted this as much as I did. That's why you didn't stop me. You didn't get carried away at all."

The tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks. Talking more to herself than Draco she cursed herself. "I'm so _stupid_, this was never going to work. I'm such an _idiot_."

Draco shook her gently but firmly. "You're not. You are not stupid, or an idiot. You simply had feelings for two people, and went for the obviously nicer one."

She hung her head, knowing he was right. After Draco's hot and cold treatment she'd welcomed Charlie's uncomplicated and secure affections, all the while knowing that she couldn't so easily forget Draco. She looked at him sadly. "What am I going to do?" She asked him, as if he'd be able to solve her problem.

He returned her sad look and kissed her on the forehead. "Only you can decide that." He told her, before passing the morose witch her bag and leaving her alone in the classroom with a decision to make.


	10. Chapter 10

_Author's note: sorry it's just a quick little chapter again. I have quite a bit of work to do but I've had this buzzing around my head for the last few days._

It was a week later and Hermione was still torn over her decision before Charlie and Draco. Unexpectedly Draco was leaving her alone, giving her the chance to make the decision with a clear head, only speaking to her in muggle studies and if they got paired together in their other classes. There had been a few whispers about their unlikely sort-of friendship but they soon stopped when it was obvious neither Hermione nor Draco reacted to them. New whispers started up about the large owl that visited Hermione every other day at breakfast. Charlie had kept his promise to write to her and as Hermione sat down to breakfast that day there was another letter from him waiting for her, Charlie's owl was perched next to her plate nibbling some cereal from Ron's bowl.

Hermione removed the letter and absentmindedly stroked Charlie's owl as she read the latest letter. The cry of outrage he made when she got to the second paragraph broke through her reading daze. Ron was staring at her in surprise, as were most of the curious students including Draco. Charlie's owl shot her a look of contempt before flying away, not bother to wait for a response from her. Tears were now sliding down Hermione's face and her hands shook as she read the rest of the letter.

_I know it's a bit unexpected. Well, it's really unexpected if you think about it. And I am sorry, I really am. But surely you know the law. As we are both of age and both consented I must act accordingly now. I must marry._

_I must stress that this happened before we met. I had one too many fire whiskies and she was very persistent. She's denying I was drunk, although I'm appealing to the Ministry of Magic to see if I must marry her for I would rather have you in my life than her. I truly am I fool and apologise for any grief this causes you. Of course I will stop writing to you unless you ask otherwise._

_Yours,_

_Charlie_

Hermione finished the letter and handed it to Ron, who had been demanding what was wrong. Harry and Ginny sat down just as she handed it over and leant forward to hear Ron's whispered reading. Ginny's face flushed with righteous anger for her friend and Harry paled with shock. Even Ron looked put out by his brother's bombshell. "So basically, Charlie got drunk and knocked up some dragon trainer and now they're making him marry her?" Harry finally asked. Hermione nodded and he wrinkled his nose. "Can they actually do that though?"

Ginny answered for Hermione. "It's a really old law; they don't usually enforce it unless one of the parties requests it. Charlie's trying to appeal it but unless he can convince them he was drunk or prove he's now romantically involved with someone else he's stuck. It kind of sounds like he's given up already from that letter." Her eyes flitted to Hermione, pity now filling them, "I'm sorry Hermione." She simpered and Hermione found herself wanting to crawl into a hole to escape the pity all three of them were clearly feeling for her. She forced a smile and shakily rose to her feet.

Ron followed suit, intending to follow her. "It's fine. I'm just going to pick up some things I left in my room." Ron sank back down, knowing the brush off was coming before it left her lips. The trio watched her slowly walk down the length of their table and into the great hall, followed a short time later by Draco.

He found her near the library. She was in a darkened corner, quietly crying. He pursed his lips and approached her, making her jump as he appeared in front of her. "What happened?" He asked, so desperately wanting to reach out and comfort her but not knowing how well it would be received. She handed him the letter from Charlie and watched him read it. He handed it back to her with a mixture of emotions on his face. "I'm sorry Hermione," he said, "I know you did like him." She regarded him curiously, wondering what else he wanted to say but wasn't. A group of third years passed them, their eyes widening when they saw the infamous pair together in the dark corner, giggling. Draco rolled his eyes and held out his hand to Hermione. "Let's go outside and talk." He suggested. "Get away from annoying third years."

Hermione hesitated a moment before taking his hand and letting him lead her to the lake. The weather was nice for this time of year meaning the ground was dry enough for them to sit on. Hermione watched the great squid floating lazily around the lake before speaking. "Is it bad that I'm relieved?" She asked. Draco stared at her in surprise. "I mean Ginny said that one of the ways to appeal is proving you're romantically involved with someone else. Charlie hasn't taken that part of the appeal up, just that he was drunk. Surely if he cared so much he'd appeal using me as evidence?" She mused, plucking several blades of grass from the ground and shredding them on her outstretched legs.

Draco watched her for a couple of minutes. Not saying anything. Finally he brushed the grass from her legs, making her look at him. "I'm kind of glad he didn't." He admitted, his mouth becoming dry.

"Why?" She asked, confusion flooding her features.

"Well, if not using you as evidence means he doesn't care then it means he's not likely to come back to you, right?" Hermione nodded, still unsure as to where Draco was going with his though process. "Well if he's not likely to come back then it means it doesn't matter when I do this." He leaned over and kissed her gently, slowly, oblivious to the small group of first year students eagerly running around nearby enjoying the first sun of the year. Hermione held back from responding, still desperately trying to process all that had happened that morning. In the space of an hour so much had changed. She was so confused. Draco pulled away when he sensed she was somewhat preoccupied. "What's wrong?" He asked, tenderly brushing a stray piece of hair away from her face.

Hermione almost burst into tears again. "I'm confused." She whispered, terrified to meet his eyes.

"What are you confused about?"

"Well Charlie's got some girl pregnant and has to marry her but he's appealing but not using me as evidence for the appeal so he doesn't think that highly of anything we did or had. Then you tell me you're glad about it and kissing me as if I'm going to break."

"I do not!"

"Then what was that kiss about then?"

"I kiss you like that to show you how precious I think you are. That's why. And Weasley is an idiot. If I was in that situation my letter would be telling you I'll appeal as many wizarding laws as I had to if it meant I got to be with you."

"Oh."

"And I certainly wouldn't have got drunk and knocked up some other dragon trainer." He added as an afterthought.

Hermione giggled and bumped his shoulder with hers. Draco grinned, glad to see her smile again – she'd spent the last week looking weary and miserable and it had torn him apart staying away despite knowing how good it was for him to do so until she'd made a decision. "Now," she said in her normal bossy voice, "I would very much like," she paused again, teasing him, "if I could have another kiss?" Her confidence failed her and she whispered the last part, pulling her knees up and dropping her gaze to the floor in an endearing form of embarrassment.

Draco crawled round so he was facing her, reached out and lifted her head so she was looking at him before answering her. "You, Hermione Granger, can have as many kisses as you want." He told her in possibly the most serious statement he had ever made in his life before leaning forward and kissing her again. She smiled against his lips and leaned into the somewhat awkward kiss – her knees were in the way – quite happily.


	11. Chapter 11

"Hermione _of course_ he's acting differently now. His Death Eater parents are in Azkaban and his precious Voldermort has been killed. He'd be an idiot to do anything that's going to get him in trouble. I'm telling you this is all part of some sick plan."

Hermione let out a frustrated scream and resisted the temptation to hex Ron. Having finally accepted that she wasn't going to come back to him, and that she was in fact quite taken with Draco, Ron had gone with the new tactic of trying to convince Hermione that Draco's feelings weren't genuine.

Beside them Harry bit back a sigh and stepped in-between them. "Ron stop it that was uncalled for." He quickly squeezed Hermione's hand to comfort her, knowing how much Ron upset her when he went on one of these rants, before turning back to his best friend, "Draco likes Hermione. Hermione likes Draco. Leave them alone."

Ron stared at Harry in fury before shoving past him and catching up to Dean and Seamus. The two boys welcomed him, having already heard the argument and guessing he'd join them as he often did after a shouting match with Hermione and Harry. They didn't mind too much but it was a bit monotonous trying to talk to him afterwards because he'd always be complaining about Hermione, Harry or Draco.

Harry glared after Ron until he felt Hermione slip her hand into his. "Are you okay?" She asked, knowing it bothered him Ron ran to Dean and Seamus every time he stuck up for Hermione's relationship simply because Ron knew of Harry's dislike for Dean, who had somehow managed to woo Ginny away from him. The red-headed girl ran past the pair now, paying no attention to her ex-boyfriend, to catch Dean in a very public display of affection. Harry tensed and Hermione squeezed his hand, returning the comfort he'd offered earlier. Harry sighed and shot her a small smile of thanks before they continued their walk to the common room still holding hands, not having seen a pug-faced girl watching them from the shadows.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~

"I'm telling you Draco they were holding hands right out in the corridor!"

"Don't be so ridiculous Pansy. Harry and Hermione are just friends, nothing more. You're either lying or seeing things but Hermione isn't going to just go around holding Harry's hand."

"He stuck up for her as well. Weasley was fighting with her and Harry told her to stop. Why would he do that if he didn't care, huh?"

Draco rolled his eyes at the desperate girl. Everyone knew that the only thing Ron and Hermione fought about these days was him. "And what exactly were they fighting about Pansy?"

Pansy's pale face flushed and she mumbled something under her breath. "What was that Pansy?" Draco pushed her, already knowing the answer.

"You and her." Pansy supplied reluctantly.

Draco grinned and continued. "And what did Harry say to Ron?"

"To leave you two alone and get over it."

"Exactly: he's not going to tell Ron to get over our relationship if he's having a secret one with Hermione now, is he?"

"S'pose not." Pansy grumbled, giving up and heading over to where her friends were sitting watching the exchange with barely concealed amusement.

Draco chuckled to himself and returned to his potions essay. He had to finish it tonight if he was going to take Hermione to Hogsmeade that weekend.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Harry grimaced as Ginny snorted at something Dean said to her and kissed him quite soundly. That was the worst part. He could just about deal with Ginny leaving him (just about mind, he wasn't happy about it) but he hated the way it was in his face all the time. In lessons, Dean spoke loudly to his friends about Ginny and at meals or in the common room they were all over each other.

"Hermione," He paused, not having realised she was working and reluctant to disturb her lest she bite his head off. Although the exams were ages away Hermione had taken to revising when she wasn't doing homework. Harry had no idea how she did it. He found it hard enough revising for exams when they were weeks away, let alone months.

However, tonight Hermione wasn't too bothered to stop working. She'd already revised this subject but had wanted something to distract her from Ron's overly loud conversations about fake relationships. She turned to Harry and smiled, encouraging him to continue.

"Ginny and I, we weren't…we weren't like she is with Dean, were we?"

Hermione smiled indulgently at him before answering. "No Harry, you weren't. You kept Ginny grounded where Dean encourages her to act foolishly. He wants to show her off to spite you but you wanted to keep what you had private so it stayed special. So stop worrying you were an idiot into displays of public affection and stop staring at them because it isn't going to help how you feel."

Harry sighed and tore his gaze away from the small group. Instead he checked the time on the mantel clock above them and turned to Hermione. "Fancy going to Hagrid's?" He asked, desperately wanting to get out of the common room. She folded up the essay she was reading and stashed it back onto the pile kept in the common room. "I take it that's a yes then?" He checked, unable to help himself from breaking out into a grin when she stood up and led the way out of the common room.

Ron watched them leave and nudged Seamus, leaving Dean and Ginny to their kissing, "Harry looked a bit keen to follow Hermione out didn't he?" He mentioned casually, wondering if he was simply seeing things.

Seamus tilted his head to one side and considered a response. "I suppose they are spending a lot of time alone together." He finally supplied. Ron nodded silently, his brain running off in all the wrong directions.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~

"Looking for Hermione? She's not here ferret. You'll probably find her somewhere alone with Harry." Ron jeered across the hall the next morning when he noticed Draco at the entrance trying to spot Hermione. Draco scowled at him and stormed over to the Slytherin table, muttering something to Blaise as he sat down.

Sure enough ten minutes later Hermione and Harry walked into the great hall, Hermione laughing at something Harry had just said and clutching his arm to keep her balance as she did so. Watching them Draco paled, especially when he saw Pansy glance at him smugly. Had he missed something? Had Pansy been right? He decided to wait a bit longer and see.

Over at Gryffindor's table, Hermione and Harry sat away from the majority of their year who were grouped around Ron and Ginny. They never intended to distance themselves from their other friends but Ron hung around with them so Hermione unintentionally avoided them while avoiding Ron, and Harry likewise with Ginny. It made sense for the two of them to just sit slightly apart from the siblings who caused them so many problems.

The owl post arrived and Harry was surprised to see Hedwig among the owls. Due to the weight of whatever was attached to the letter she carried Hedwig was flying quite unstably meaning she crashed into Harry's plate, scattering his breakfast. He hastily removed the package and letter from Hedwig's leg and offered her some bacon before turning to Hermione to ponder who could have sent him something.

He couldn't help it. He burst into laughter at the sight of her covered in scraps of his bacon. She tried to scowl at him but couldn't help let out a little giggle. "I'm glad you find decorating me in your breakfast funny Harry." She told him mock-sternly as she removed bacon from her clothes and hair. "But streaky bacon wasn't really the look I was going for to go into Hogsmeade later." Harry bit back further laughter and removed a piece of bacon she hadn't seen from her hair. She smiled at him thankfully and pointed at the forgotten package. "So who's it from?" She asked him.

Harry shrugged and picked up the envelope, deciding it was best to see who had sent him the lot first and if it told him what was in the package rather than receive a nasty surprise. He read the letter and handed it to Hermione, who read it while Harry unwrapped the package.

_Dear Harry_

_Don't be silly dear of course you can spend Easter with us. Ron did tell me you two were fighting but he fights with his brothers all the time, you'll make it up with him I'm sure. Please tell Hermione she's welcome to come too if she has no other plans. I know the holidays are hard for her. If she worries about Charlie, let her know he won't be here as his appeal date is scheduled over the holidays so he will be staying in London._

_I've sent over some fudge I made the other day and a cake for you and Hermione to share as I doubt you even saw the package I sent Ron last week. _

_Molly x_

Hermione sniffed as she handed back the letter to Harry, wiping away a sneaky tear before it was noticed, and peered into the box Harry had just opened. Sure enough there were two small tins of fudge and a cake for each of them. Hermione grinned and accepted the sweets Harry handed her happily.

"So will you stay?" Harry asked her, knowing she would already have considered this from every angle. Once he knew what Hermione was doing, then he'd make his mind up about where he was spending the holidays. When he found out her parents had been murdered anyway, despite the extensive memory charms Hermione had placed on them, by Voldermort before the final battle Harry had stayed wherever Hermione had over the holidays. Hermione had only told Harry, Draco and Ron about what had happened though simply referring to her aunt's home as her parent's house for, she reasoned to herself, that's what it was now. She'd also wanted to avoid the sympathy she knew Ginny and Molly would heap upon her. Just for a while.

Hermione looked at Harry and knew immediately if she didn't go to the Burrow then Harry would also miss the holidays there. She pursed her lips. "Harry you can go to the Burrow if you want to you know. I don't mind."

"But are you going?"

"I don't think it would be wise. The twins, Molly and Arthur are the only Weasley's left who talk to me now. I think I'd feel awkward." Another tear escaped, this time noticed by Harry.

"Hermione, c'mon. If you don't go then I'll come with you wherever you're going."

"Harry, it's fine, really. I was just going to stay here. Dumbledore already said I could."

"Hogwarts it is then." Declared Harry, putting an arm around Hermione's shoulders for a one-armed hug which she rather awkwardly returned. Harry had, she marvelled, been amazingly wonderful since her parent's death. He hadn't even pushed her to tell more people, knowing she needed to deal with her grief first before admitting to everyone else what had happened.

"Good morning love." Draco appeared opposite them, taking Hermione's hand in his. Harry realised his arm was still around Hermione and dropped it from her shoulders quickly. "Harry." Draco simply nodded at him, still not quite used to being civil towards his former enemy.

"Morning Draco, are we going to Hogsmeade today?" Hermione asked, completely oblivious to the somewhat awkward tension between her best friend and boyfriend.

Draco nodded and kissed her hand. "Indeed we are. I need to fetch something from the common room before we leave. I will meet you at the doors in ten minutes." He squeezed her hand and left, shooting Harry one last suspicious look.

Harry stared after Draco in bewilderment. Did Draco think he was trying something with Hermione? He felt baffled. Surely anyone could see they were just friends. Sure they occasionally fell asleep in the common room and woke up leaning on one another. And okay so they squeezed each others hands when they needed comfort. And there was the odd moment or two where he held on a little too long after such a comfort squeeze or a hug. But that didn't mean he had feelings for her, did it? Right?

Harry paled as the realisation hit him. Then he felt her hand slip into his and squeeze. "Harry, are you okay?" Hermione peered at him, worry evident in her face. "You don't mind me going with Draco today do you? I'm sure you could join us." She smiled at him, hoping he didn't feel too put out that she was effectively abandoning him to spend time with Draco.

Harry shrugged his shoulders and returned the squeeze, hating the now recognisable bubbly feeling he got from it. He used to feel that when Ginny hugged him. "It's fine. I need to finish the potions essay anyway. Go and have fun. I'll see you later." Before Hermione could say anything he pushed himself away from the table and headed to the common room, unable to hang around to see Hermione greet Draco with a kiss that he now knew he so very much wanted her to give him.


	12. Chapter 12

Harry regretted going back to the common room almost immediately. His first sight upon entering the room was Ginny and Dean tangled in another one of their kisses. Sighing he turned on his heel and headed to the entrance hall. Hogsmeade it was then.

"Harry!" Hermione spotted her friend's head several people ahead of her and Draco and called out to him. When he didn't respond she dragged Draco forward to walk with him. "Harry," she repeated when she finally drew level with him, "I thought you said you needed to finish your essay?" She frowned, wondering if he'd lied to spare her feelings.

Harry's eyes widened, having hoped that he would manage to avoid the couple during today's trip, before he responded. "Erm yeah, I forgot that I already had?" He finished lamely. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him but let the subject drop. "So what are you guys up to today?" He asked, attempting to move the conversation onto safer topics.

"Three Broomsticks and then I'm taking Hermione to a new book shop that's opened." Draco answered for them, making it obvious that Harry was not invited to their activities before Hermione could even contemplate inviting him along.

"What about you Harry? What are you doing?" Hermione anxiously questioned him, worrying already about him being alone and moping about Hogsmeade.

"Oh I was going to visit Fred and George's shop, see if they had any new stock in." He supplied, grabbing the first shop that came to his head and offering it up as an answer. Hermione nodded vaguely, immediately losing interest at the mention of the twin's joke shop and their potential rule breaking products. "I guess I'll see you later." He said as the trio arrived at the Three Broomsticks. Hermione hesitated, as if considering inviting him along, but Draco pulled her inside the pub with a mere wave of goodbye to Harry. Harry sighed and continued his walk up the path to the joke shop, already full of excited Hogwarts students.

"Draco that was so rude!" Hermione rounded on her boyfriend as soon as they were at their table. Draco merely shrugged his shoulders and ordered two butterbeers. "Draco!" Hermione's shrill voice insisted he pay attention to her before she went off on a rant. "Harry is my friend and he's had an abysmal time recently given the way Ron and Ginny are treating him." Apparently he'd taken too long, because she continued heatedly. "Besides, I was only going to invite him for one drink before we carried on with our plans. It wasn't as if I asked him to chaperone our date. What is your problem?"

"Imagine if I brought Pansy on our date and you have the picture." Draco retorted, sounding bored of the subject already.

Hermione snorted into her butterbeer. "I think there's a difference there. Pansy would love to ruin our date because of her feelings for you. Harry is a different matter."

"If you say so," Draco muttered under his breath. When Hermione frowned at him he flashed her a grin and decided it would be best to move onto a new subject. "So what was in the post for you this morning?"

"Oh you saw that?" Hermione asked, a nervous flush coming onto her face, "well Molly – Mrs Weasley – asked Harry and I if we would be staying at the Burrow over the holidays. She also sent some cake and fudge for us."

"What, stay at their house? Why would you do that? Would you all fit in there?" Draco sneered, unable to help himself from falling back into his old and easy habit of insulting the Weasleys at any opportunity.

"Draco," Hermione admonished him sternly and he muttered apologies before asked her to continue, "Molly asked because she knows how difficult the holidays are for me." Draco shot her a look of surprise and she elaborated. "She found me crying one day when I was doing the washing up over Christmas. I ended up telling her everything about my parents, about how he found them and killed them even though he got nothing from them. Anyway," she swiftly continued talking, not wanting to burst into tears in the middle of the crowded pub, "she said Charlie wouldn't be there and we'd be welcome regardless of our friendship issues with Ron and Ginny."

"So what are you going to do?" He questioned her, more enthused about the possibility of her going now he knew that Charlie wouldn't be about. He didn't want a repeat of Christmas holidays.

"Dumbledore said I can stay at Hogwarts along with a few other students. Harry said he'd stay too, but I think he just wants to get away from Ginny for a while rather than keep me company." She eyeballed Draco as she said this, knowing too well where his jealous mind was going with this.

"Okay then." Draco was satisfied with her answer and drained his butterbeer. "Come on," he said, standing up and offering her his hand, "I do believe that we, Miss Granger, have a book store to attend."

Hermione giggled and took his hand, heading out into the streets to the new book store.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~

Harry watched the couple walk past the joke shop and sighed at how happy Hermione looked. He had been hiding in the shop waiting for them to leave the pub so he could go in for a butterbeer. Fred and George had been unable to talk to him yet, although he knew they were watching him curiously. It was very rare that Harry ventured anywhere without Hermione since their double fallout with Ron and Ginny, let alone into Hogsmeade.

Fred saw Harry watch Hermione and Draco go by and realisation set in. Fobbing off a customer to Verity he made his way over to the window where Harry stood. "Sucks don't it?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

Harry started, amazed as always at Fred's stealth. "What do you mean?" He tried to bluff. Fred raised a disbelieving eyebrow and Harry relented. "I hate that he makes her so happy when he's the one who made most of her time here horrible. I know people can change but why _him_?"

Fred sighed; he'd guessed a while back that Harry had feelings for Hermione. He hadn't said anything because he doubted that Harry himself had actually realised what was going on, too wrapped up in Ginny's pleasant affections. "Look mate, you can either tell her, and see what she says, or you leave it and let her be happy." A customer disturbed them at this point and Harry took the chance to slip out of the shop before Fred could say anything else. Tonight, he resolved, tonight he would talk to Hermione. Tonight he would confess everything.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~

It took the rest of the day for it to happen but eventually Harry and Hermione were alone in the common room. Harry was sitting in the middle of the sofa with Hermione resting her head on his lap reading the book Draco had bought her earlier about the history of muggle-born witches. Harry was absentmindedly playing with her hair, something that relaxed her and reminded her of her mother. Harry was the only one allowed to do it. Draco had tried once but ended up tangling her hair and pulling it, resulting in Hermione banning him from attempting it again.

"Hermione?" Harry decided to test her mood first.

"Hmm?" Hermione barely looked up from the book, pausing to answer him before flicking the page over and settling back into the book.

"I need to tell you something. Something important." This got her attention. She marked her place in the book and placed it on her lap, looking up at him expectantly.

"Yes?"

"Well, you see…erm, the thing is…"

"What is it Harry?" Hermione sat up, worry etched into her features, and frowned at him slightly.

"I wanted to thank you." Harry said lamely. "For all your help with the Horcruxes and stuff, and then the whole Ginny thing."

"Harry you already thanked me for my help with the Horcruxes and I haven't really done anything to do with your relationship. What is it that you wanted to really say?"

Damn, busted. Harry sighed and tried again. "Well, then, I just wanted to thank you. You're always there for me even though I'm an ass sometimes and take you for granted. And you're really special to me. Erm, yeah, I guess that's it?"

Hermione blushed, thrilled to be considered special to her friend, "oh Harry, thank you." She trilled, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.

Whether or not he did it deliberately, Harry wasn't sure. However he turned his head at the last minute and their lips met.

Hermione pulled back, surprised. "Harry, I'm so sorry!" She gasped, looking upset at her mistake.

"Don't be upset Hermione." Harry comforted, placing a gently hand on her arm. Hermione smiled at him and giggled.

"You're right. It's silly to be upset. It wasn't as if you _wanted_ to kiss me like that!" She started to laugh again but it died in her throat, catching Harry's guilty face. "You did?" She asked, shocked.

He nodded slowly, as if trying not to scare a skittish animal or small child, "I do." He admitted dread filling him as he already knew how she'd respond.

"Oh _Harry_," there it was – the guilty compassion he'd come to associate with Ron and Hermione. Now he knew how Ron felt. "Harry you've always been a _dear_ friend to me but surely it's never been like that with us?"

"It has with me."

"How long?"

"I've realised it recently but I think a while now." He wished all the time turners hadn't been destroyed. He'd have loved to have gone back and somehow found a way to distract away from this conversation. Send one of the house elves in, something, _anything_ to avoid the look of horror on her face.

"I never knew." She protested, terrified she was wounding him.

Harry shook his head. "I never really showed it. A slightly longer hug than usual, a new interest in going to the library with you, sticking up for you…nothing that was obvious."

Hermione stared at him, wide-eyed, "this isn't happening." She whispered to herself.

"It is," Harry took her hand in his and waited until she looked at him, "I'm sorry Hermione but I can't keep quiet. It hurts me to see you with Draco. It hurts how he makes you happy when he's caused you so much misery."

"His parents' bigoted ideals forced him to cause me misery. He's apologised ten-fold for everything he's ever said or done to me Harry and you know that." She was angry now, defensive about his attack on Draco. She pulled her hand away.

Harry sighed and let her hand drop back onto her lap. "I'm going to bed. I'm sorry to have done this Hermione."

Hermione's anger dissolved at the look on his face. "Harry, don't be sorry. You're a good friend but that's it." Harry smiled sadly and she pulled him into a hug. He gripped her shoulders gently and lowered his lips onto hers. It was a sweet kiss, with a tinge of sadness to it knowing it was all he was ever going to get.

"Nothing?" He asked her when he pulled away.

"I'm sorry Harry, nothing."

"Oh well, it was worth a try." He was trying to joke it away now, to ease the awkwardness. Hermione wondered how long he'd avoid her for tomorrow morning. She hoped it wasn't long. She enjoyed Harry's friendship and didn't want this to come between them the way it had for her and Ron. She waved goodnight as he went up to the boy's dorm and made her own way up to bed.


	13. Chapter 13

Thankfully for Hermione the next morning was exactly the same as any other. Harry acted no differently towards her. In fact, he acted so normal that she found herself wondering if perhaps she'd dreamt it all.

Harry could see how his behaviour was confusing her. He was, after all, acting as if nothing unusual had happened. He'd decided in bed last night that the best route of action to take was to behave towards Hermione the way he always did rather than have things awkward for her. He'd tried, and he'd failed. All there was now was their friendship and he was determined nothing was going to ruin that. Not even his own feelings.

Draco watched Harry and Hermione interact from across the room. Something had happened. Hermione was acting as if she expected Harry to burst into hysterics any moment and Harry was acting far too casual for Draco's liking. Yes, something had happened between the two of them. But what it was he couldn't be sure.

Pansy watched Draco, knowing he was preoccupied with Hermione as usual. She was, however, mildly surprised when she heard him mutter "Potter" under his breath. She glanced over to the Gryffindor table and wondered what had happened. Maybe Draco and Harry had argued recently about the amount of time Hermione and Harry spent together. She barked at a scared first year to move and slid up the bench to where Draco sat, determined to find out what was going on.

Ron watched Harry and Hermione with a scowl on his face. He'd been sneaking down from the dorm last night to get a drink from the kitchen when he'd heard Harry and Hermione talking. Or rather Harry admitting he had feelings for Hermione. Unsure what to do, Ron had hesitated on the steps, hidden in the shadows, and watched as Harry pulled back from the hug Hermione had given him to kiss her. Ron stood shocked for a moment before sneaking back to the dorm when Harry made for the stairs. He lay in his bed, pretending to be asleep, as Harry muttered to himself about his own stupidity. He wondered if Hermione had told Draco what had happened yet. Surely not, he mused to himself. Harry would have at least one visible injury if Draco had any idea about the kiss.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Hermione was in her room reading when there was a timid knock on her door. Thinking it was perhaps a first year with a problem Hermione happily placed her book on the desk and went to let them in. However instead of a scared first year, Ginny stood in the doorway. She was holding a letter and had tears in her eyes. Immediately fearful for the Weasley family – for although Voldermort was gone there were a few who sought to contain his regime – Hermione pulled the girl into her room. Ginny sat on Hermione's bed and stared at Hermione. There was silence for a few minutes until Hermione, realising Ginny wasn't going to say anything soon, spoke up. "Ginny, is something wrong? Has something happened?"

Ginny burst into tears, causing Hermione to rush forward and comfort her old friend – forgetting the past few weeks of trouble between them all. Eventually Ginny's tears subsided and she gave Hermione a watery smile. "Thanks," she said, accepting the tissue Hermione was offering her, "to be honest I hadn't expected you to let me in, let alone be so nice to me after how horrid I've been to you." Hermione nodded, acknowledging that Ginny had acted horribly to her recently but saying nothing. Ginny sniffed again. "I know I've been terrible," she continued, "and you didn't deserve any of it. Especially given what happened with your parents." Hermione paled and shifted slightly, uncomfortable, wondering how the younger girl had found out. "Mum wrote to me today, telling me how dreadful I was for falling out with you and making you feel like you had to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays. I thought at first she just wanted you home, so I was jealous. Then she told me to stop being so stupid and told me what had happened to them, your parents I mean." She trailed off for a moment before finally looking at Hermione, "you never told me." She said, her voice quiet but fully conveying the hurt Ginny no doubt had felt upon hearing the news, "I was your best friend and you never said a word, never even hinted, that anything had happened to them."

Hermione sighed and sat down next to Ginny. "I couldn't tell you. I only told Ron and Harry because they were there when Dumbledore told me. Your mother found me crying about it once and that's how she found out. I'm sorry, it's just it hurts so much to even admit it to myself. I thought it would be less real if I didn't tell many people, so I didn't."

Ginny pulled her friend into a hug as Hermione started to cry.

"I've been so lost Ginny. I don't know what's going on with me anymore. Ron won't talk to me, I fought with you, I started a thing with Charlie despite being interested in Draco and now things with Harry are weird and I don't know how any of it happened!" Hermione let the past few months of hurt and confusion finally take over her and let out guttering sobs as a dismayed Ginny held her shaking frame whispering random comforts into her hair.

Eventually Hermione calmed down and Ginny felt she should admit something to the girl before they continued. "Hermione I can probably explain a bit about the Charlie thing. I knew about Draco, obviously, and twisted it to try and get you with my brother. I know it was selfish of me but I wanted you as a sister and Charlie was the best bet, especially as he'd mentioned he found you pretty when he saw you briefly in fourth year. I didn't want you to go out with Draco so I pushed Charlie to talk to you, to get involved with you, in hopes that you'd forget about Draco. When you admitted he'd kissed you, I thought I'd been successful but you went back to Draco so quickly I was angry. That's what Harry and I fought over so much, that's why we broke up. I kept slagging off you and him as a couple, along with Ron, and Harry stuck up for you both. In the end he found out what I'd done and called me sick, I told him if I sickened him so much maybe he should leave me. So he did."

"You told Charlie to kiss me?" Hermione asked, wanting to make sure.

"Yes but only because I _knew_ he liked you. I'm really sorry Hermione, I know it was so wrong for me to do it. I was an idiot. I can see how happy Draco makes you, even if it did seem a bit of a random event. I mean you two went from _hating_ each other to dating so quickly and nobody knew what really happened. I guess I thought it was some kind of love/hate thing and wouldn't last."

Hermione smiled wryly to herself. So much had happened in the last few months and she _had_ been acting somewhat out of character. She wasn't changed in regards to her attitude to work, if anything she'd become more studious as they'd entered their final year at Hogwarts, but she had acted differently around people. It went some way to explain the Draco/Charlie conflict.

"Wait…you said did you say things were weird with Harry? But how?" Ginny seemed to have just realised that Hermione was still keeping something back, something big.

"He kissed me last night in the common room. Said he loved me, that he hated how happy Draco made me despite years of bullying from him. But he's acting extra-normal today, I'm beginning to wonder if I dreamt it last night instead. It wouldn't surprise me."

Ginny snorted, "I think it would've happened rather than you dreamt it. If Harry and I ever had a huge argument Harry would act as if nothing unusual had happened the next day. It's his way of apologising and keeping the peace. He thinks ignoring it will help."

Hermione sighed. "Why can't things be simple?"

"Because I interfere, because friends fall for each other, because people surprise us." There was a moment of silence before Ginny spoke up. "Have you told Draco?"

Hermione shook her head, "I didn't want them to fight. Draco's already jealous of how much time I spend with Harry that I didn't want to make it worse. It's not like I return Harry's feelings. I know I _should_ tell him but things are still fairly new with us as a proper couple. I don't want to lose him Ginny."

"How exactly did you two start this whole thing? I mean, I know about the masquerade ball and the hallway kiss but it's not like you to just _let_ a boy get away with stuff you don't want them to do. You never hinted at liking him before but you're never one for huge spontaneous emotion changes."

"Thinking about it like that, I guess it does seem strange. I had liked him for a while, as dreadful as it sounds. I never said anything because of what he seemed to be but Dumbledore called us into his office before the summer holidays last year to tell us early about being Head Girl and Head Boy. That's when it started, so I already liked him by the time the masquerade ball incident. I wouldn't have let him kiss me otherwise…" Hermione trailed off as she remembered the meeting in Dumbledore's office and what had happened afterwards.

_FLASHBACK_

"_I am sure you are both wondering why I've called you here this evening." Dumbledore spoke now to Hermione and Draco, although he was still staring into his pensive in the same way he had been doing since they had entered his office five minutes ago. Hermione wondered what memories he was watching skim across the surface and if they had anything to do with why she and Draco of all people were sitting together in the headmaster's office._

_Both students remained quiet, waiting for the old man to continue talking. He seemed quite caught up in one particular memory. At one point Draco made to move over to him and bring the man back out of his reverie but Hermione stopped him. Dumbledore wouldn't be looking at random memories while they sat in his office if it wasn't important._

_Dumbledore finished with his memory and finally turned to face them. "Since the war ended last month we are heading into a new era of uncertainty. As with the last war, many people are coming forward and pleading the imperious curse for their actions helping Voldermort. Witches and wizards everywhere are unsure of who to trust, even among their own friends and families. The students of Hogwarts are also facing similar questions particularly, as I'm sure you are aware Mr Malfoy, those of Slytherin house." Hermione shifted uncomfortably at the look of self-loathing on Draco's face, causing Dumbledore's attention to transfer to her. "Miss Granger you of all people know how people can change," he was referring to what had transpired a few weeks earlier and she knew Draco was shifting uncomfortably in his seat again even though she couldn't see him, "and how important their decisions can be. As one of the more prolific people behind Voldermort's downfall it is vital you are involved with my decision. It is necessary even more so given your character, which lends towards giving second chances to those who others would easily neglect."_

_Hermione stared at Dumbledore in confusion. What on earth did he mean? She guessed it had something to do with her working with Draco in some respect but as to what that would involve she had no clue. She would, however, have to wait a bit longer because Dumbledore turned to Draco next. The blonde boy was paler than usual, and seemed like a trapped bird rather than the arrogant Slytherin who had bullied her for years. A few weeks ago, during the final battle at Hogwarts, he had made a conscious decision to defend her from his father and Bellatrix. He had nearly died in the attempt as it had left him open to attack from Ginny who had been convinced he was trying to injure Hermione rather than cast a shield charm over her. Bellatrix had been aiming a killing curse at her, as had his father, from behind while she was helping Ron fight Greyback off. His father and aunt hadn't seen who cast the shield charm but their frustrated cries had been enough to alert Hermione and Remus Lupin, who had been nearby, to their presence. Bellatrix had been killed while his father had escaped, later pleading the imperious curse like so many others. Hermione had spotted Draco's relieved face when she spun around and pieced things together. When Draco had been cornered by Lupin, Hermione stepped in front of his wand and pleaded Draco's case. Lupin had relented and Draco had been allowed to leave the castle with his father. Nobody else knew what had happened that night but Draco and Hermione had tentatively begun to greet each other in the hallways and had managed the odd civil conversation in lessons, much to the dismay of their friends._

_There had been little time for discussing what had happened and what the new form was within Hogwarts regarding the old house ideals. The weeks after the battle had been dedicated to repairing Hogwarts to its former glory to have it open as soon as possible. It had, in fact, been completed just days before the start of term, at which point Draco and Hermione had been called to the school for a meeting with Dumbledore._

"_Draco you have shown bravery which will remain unmentioned for the fear of your safety should word get back to your father. However, I thank you for your bravery which saved a life that night," both Draco and Dumbledore looked at Hermione before Dumbledore continued, "you have shown you can overcome prejudices and parroted, bigoted ideals we may have grown up with. You are proof of the strength it takes to go against your parents' wishes in order to protect what is good." Draco's usually pale face was now flushed, as if someone had painted it a light pink._

"_It is for this reason that I have called you both here today," Dumbledore continued, having finished with his individual focus on the two students sitting in front of him, "as you both know a head boy and head girl are chosen from each seventh year group. This year, your seventh, it has been decided that you will make excellent choices as head students and help balance the great unrest students will undoubtedly feel upon their return. Now," he quickly continued, either oblivious to or simply ignoring their spluttered protests, "because you two are to work together it has been decided you will start term earlier than the other students. You share a common room but your bedrooms are in your own house towers. You may spend as much or as little time in your shared common room as you wish but I would like to request you spend the next few days in your shared common room to discuss matters of the last month. Your things have already arrived and are in your bedrooms. Dinner starts at seven in the great hall as usual." Dumbledore turned back to his pensive, effectively dismissing them. Draco rose first and turned to Hermione._

"_Shall we?" He asked uncertainly, nodding towards the door. Hermione nodded and quickly rose from her chair, following him out of the room._

_Dumbledore waited until they had left the room before sighing and turning to Fawkes. "Oh Fawkes, I hope this works." He whispered, stroking the phoenix's crimson feathers. Fawkes cried out and affectionately nipped his master's hand._

Hermione turned to Ginny once she'd finished speaking to see how the girl had reacted. As expected, Ginny was sitting wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

"Draco…_saved_ you from a killing curse? But that's epically amazing, why wasn't he recognised?"

"Because his dad and leftover death eaters would have hurt him, they may even have killed him. So it was kept quiet. Remus, Dumbledore, myself and Draco were the only ones who knew."

Ginny nodded slowly, understanding how dangerous Draco's act of defence had been for him. "So you were made head boy and head girl with a shared common room and nothing else to do, nobody else to talk to except each other. Is that when it started?"

Hermione shook her head, smiling slightly at Ginny's impatience. "Not quite."

"Well _when_ woman? You should know me by now, I like to know these things. Also it would help the feeling I know Ron feels that things between you two were rushed. That's really his main issue, and Harry's too from the sound of things."

Hermione nodded sadly. "I know," she murmured, "but I couldn't tell them what Draco had done for me. He made me promise it would stay a secret."

"So he saved your life, you all decided to keep it a secret and then what?"

Hermione sighed and began to continue with her story from the week before term…

_FLASHBACK_

_It was the first night of the week Hermione and Draco were required to spend at Hogwarts. They had already discussed the new rules and passwords for each house common room before dinner and Draco was now in their shared common room reading through a book he'd had in his trunk from home. He was engrossed in the chapter's climax when Hermione rushed in, evidently in a bad mood of sorts._

"_What's wrong Granger?" He asked, peering at her over the top of his book. She glared at him and slunk into the chair opposite his, folded her arms and stared into the fire for a few moments. He was about to snap at her when she spoke._

"_The library's not open." She said quietly before bursting into tears. Draco stared at her in alarm. He was not used to tears. His mother was an emotionally reserved woman who stood just behind his father and hardly spoke in his presence. He had never seen her cry, or any other girl he knew. He wasn't sure what to do so he waited for some kind of indication of how to act. Hermione was now full on sobbing and had pulled her knees up to her chest on the chair, effectively hugging herself. He watched for a moment and then, assuming that she found hugs comforting, placed the book on the table in-between them and slowly got up from the chair and crossed the room to where she sat. Feeling exceptionally awkward he leant down and wrapped his arms around her clumsily. He was not used to hugging anybody, let alone a girl, but he seemed to be getting it right for Hermione leant into his arms and was now crying against his chest. His legs were beginning to hurt so he crouched down, making it more comfortable for both of them._

_Neither of them spoke as she cried in his arms and at some point she transfigured the armchair into a chaise, allowing him to sit more comfortably than he was crouched beside the armchair. He manoeuvred himself so he was next to her without removing her crying form from him and she simply turned so she was more on his shoulder than his chest. He now had a free arm, which found its way to her hair and began to stroke it. She seemed to find this comforting as well as the hug and soon her sobs turned into subdued sniffles, with the odd hiccup. Draco waited, hoping she would speak and tell him what was wrong, before deciding to take the initiative and ask._

"_So, the library's shut huh?" He said, fervently wishing that humour would improve her mood. He honestly had no idea how to deal with emotional women. Let alone ones that – no, he scolded himself, he wouldn't think of that now. Not at this moment._

_She hiccupped again and looked up at him sheepishly. "I find comfort in books when Harry and Ron aren't here." She supplied._

_Draco nodded slowly and tried again, "so why do you need comfort?"_

_Tears filled her eyes again and she drew back from him, as if realising exactly who she was talking to. "Your father and his friends," despite the obvious pain she was in she still managed to make them sound like vermin, "found my parents. They told Voldermort where I'd hidden them under memory charms and he went to them. He tried to break the memory charms, convinced they were weak because of my relation to them, because they were muggles, to find out where I was because he knew I'd be with Harry. He knew we were after the Horcruxes and we were nearly finished our mission. They knew nothing anyway because I hadn't told them. But it didn't matter to him. He got angry, thinking he'd find me through them and failing really got to him, so he tortured them. He tortured them until they broke and when they begged he did it." Fresh sobs were making her body shake now and Draco, somewhat fearfully, asked her, knowing she had to say it to begin to accept it._

"_Did what Hermione?"_

"_He…he killed them!" She wailed, falling onto Draco's torso and wetting his shirt further. Draco pressed his lips together and hugged her again, waiting for her to finish before tentatively asking his next question._

"_Why is this so new? Surely you knew once it had happened?"_

_Hermione shook her head, her eyes still glistening with tears. "He completely destroyed their house. It took the Order until today to search through it, what with the final battle. Remus found them and came straight here, knowing I intended to try and find them in the Christmas holidays and lift the charms or simply tell them everything with Dumbledore's help. He took them from me and they didn't even know anything!" She cried, her grief turning into anger at the pointless loss of her parents. "They didn't have to die!" She was screaming now. To be honest she was scaring Draco. He'd never seen grief in its purest form before. It was almost animalistic compared to his parent's way of dealing with a loss in their ranks. They usually referred to it briefly before moving on as if nothing had happened. This, Hermione's grieving, was jarringly different to what he was used to. He wasn't sure whether to comfort her or run away._

_Thankfully for him at that moment Remus entered the room. He took in Draco's scared face and Hermione's shrieking and stepped forward, drawing Hermione into a tight hug. She resisted violently, screaming and hitting him, before she broke further and sagged into him. Draco watched uncomfortably as she cried and clung to Remus' shirt. Remus caught his eye and smiled comfortingly at him. Draco managed a small smile at the man before Remus' attention was back on Hermione. Draco could hear him whispering to her, although he couldn't quite make out what was said, and he stroked her hair affectionately. It seemed Remus was well equipped at dealing with either emotional women in general or an upset Hermione. Draco felt an uncomfortable jolt of jealousy hit him and pushed it away. Now wasn't the time._

_After about ten minutes – although it felt like ten hours to Draco – Hermione pulled out of Remus' embrace and, hugging herself, informed them both she would like to go to bed now. Remus offered to accompany her and they both left the room, after bidding Draco goodnight. Draco waited until the portrait had shut behind them before sinking back into his chair, his book long forgotten by now. Righteous anger was coursing through him. How __**dare**__ his father inflict unnecessary pain to people. He now knew why the Order felt so strongly about fighting against Voldermort. Before now he had swallowed his father's lies about them being weak and fool-hardy. But now he could so easily see what was wrong with his father's views of the world and the fact that he had never seen otherwise sickened him even more._


	14. Chapter 14

Ginny blinked back her tears as Hermione finished relaying the memory and asked a question that had been bugging her. "You said Ron and Harry were there when you found out, why didn't they stay with you?"

Hermione sighed and shrugged. "I don't know really. I think Dumbledore called them thinking they'd comfort me but I kind of screamed at Ron when he tried to hug me. And well, you know how Harry is with emotion. I assume that after I ran out of Dumbledore's office they simply returned to the Burrow."

"Oh," the pair sat in silence for a moment before Ginny piped up again. "So what happened the next day? I'm assuming Draco didn't avoid you."

"He was quite sweet about it actually Hermione smiled to herself as she remembered…

_FLASHBACK_

_Draco was waiting outside the Gryffindor common room the next morning. He looked as if he'd been awake all night and Hermione imagined that she looked as bad as he did given she'd had very little sleep. What sleep she'd managed to get had been littered with nightmares._

"_I'm sorry." Draco spoke as she watched him suspiciously, unsure as to why he was waiting for her. "About your parents I mean," he elaborated when she looked confused, "I feel sick that I used to parrot my parent's ideals; that I could have been one of them when I've seen the hurt it causes. Nobody should have to go through that kind of pain, that kind of loss."_

_Hermione nodded, acknowledging his words but finding herself unable to speak. She spun on her heel, turning away from Draco, as tears filled her eyes at his kindness. When he approached her, placing what was meant to be a comforting hand on her shoulder, she snapped. "Why are you here Malfoy?"_

_The venom was there, although it was directed more at his father than at him, but Draco knew that Hermione didn't mean the brush off she was attempting. She was hurt and uncomfortable showing weakness in front of him – still wired to act defensively after the years of bullying from him. He removed his hand and sighed. "I'm sorry again. For the way I've treated you in all the years before. I had never met a muggle born before and my parents had me believing that they were akin to savages. I never even bothered to find out differently." He paused, allowing her to take in exactly what he'd just said before continuing. "I mean, I was such a git to you for so long. How can you even stand to be in the castle pretty much alone with me?"_

_Hermione allowed herself a small smile, "well punching you in third year did help I guess."_

_Draco chuckled. "I guess I did deserve that, and more. You really are quite fascinating Granger." Hermione blushed at his comment but found herself being guided to breakfast by Draco before she could fully respond._

_~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~_

_It was late evening before either of them had the courage to bring up the subject of the final battle. It was Hermione who begun the discussion. She had been watching Draco reading and allowed her mind to drift from her own book. Why exactly __**had**__ he bothered to save her, to alert her to the death eaters behind her?_

"_Draco," she called gently to him, distracting him from his book, "something's been bothering me. Why did you cast that shield charm?"_

_Draco cursed silently. He knew she was bound to ask before long but he hadn't yet had time to come up with a decent enough reason that she would accept. The truth wasn't an option. She'd either scoff or be so freaked out she'd beg Dumbledore to pick a new head girl to avoid him. He was quiet for a few minutes, thinking desperately about his motivations and how best to sum them up in a hassle-free way, before carefully answering her question. "I had seen the way the death eaters acted and heard stories about what you three were doing. The way Ron so thoughtlessly ran to defend you from my aunt even though he could've died, how you saved Harry from V…Vol…him," saying Voldermort's name was still a struggle for Draco, so accustomed to referring to him as The Dark Lord, "when he attacked you both in Godric's Hollow, the way Harry so often looked after you when you got upset about Ron leaving you guys. Plus nobody should be attacked unknowingly, it's weak."_

_Hermione nodded, her mind processing what the boy was saying. She knew it wasn't the truth – or at least all of the truth – but didn't want to push him too quickly. She knew that his parent's behaviour bothered him and he wanted to distance himself from it. He'd spent the majority of the morning apologising to her for various wrongs he'd done to her and explaining what had made him so cold and bitter to others. In a way Hermione felt sorry for him, regardless of the horrid things he'd done. His parents had been dreadful to him and he'd simply followed their behaviour, never having learned any other way. It was tragic._

_~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~_

_It was now halfway through their week alone in Hogwarts and they were sitting at either end of the chaise reading. Occasionally they discussed things they had read in the Prophet that day, or asked each other questions about their lives. In a strange kind of way, the pair were forming a tentative friendship._

_Or rather Hermione was. Draco was, and had been for a while now, harbouring a crush on the witch sitting opposite him. She'd grown into a beautiful woman, and had an admirable character which appealed to Draco. But there was something more to it too, although he couldn't quite place his finger on it. Yes, despite himself and his parent's views Draco had developed a crush on muggle born Hermione Granger. That was why he'd cast the shield charm so instinctively. In fact he didn't even remember casting the spell. He recalled the moment clearly though. The horror he'd felt seeing his father and aunt creeping up behind her, wands outstretched and the killing curse on their lips, and the desperate urge that she be shielded from it. He'd been amazed when something had blocked the curses and she'd been alerted to the danger behind her._

_He'd also been thankful when she'd so calmly stepped in front of Remus' wand after the werewolf had cornered him, believing Ginny's version of events which pinned him planning to attack Hermione. The look in Remus' eye had terrified Draco to the core as he knew instinctively that, had Draco been planning on attacking Hermione and had she not stopped Remus, the man would kill him._

"_Thank you." Her quiet voice dragged him back out of his reverie and he looked up from his book to see her smiling softly at him, almost hesitantly as if she expected him to rebuke her for daring to look at him. Draco wondered how many years she'd put up with his bullying before that look became normal when she was around him. He so desperately wanted to change it. He returned the smile and nodded his head in acknowledgement, unsure what to say. She shifted along the chaise until she was sitting next to him and looked at the title of the book he was reading. She offered him another hesitant smile. "That's one of my favourite books." She informed him, offering him the delicate nugget of information about herself._

_Draco switched his gaze from the book to her and smiled again, hoping he looked friendly rather than sarcastic or manic, "mine too." He told her. He ignored the look of surprise that quickly flickered across her features: he was admitting to liking a muggle book after all, it wasn't exactly expected from someone with his background._

_After an awkward moment of silence Hermione plucked the book from Draco's hands and began to read from the beginning of the chapter Draco was on, her soft melodic voice filling the room and soothing away his nerves. They spent the rest of the evening taking it in turns to read the story of The Gruffalo to each other. _


	15. Chapter 15

"Awww so does he read with different voices for different characters?"

"Actually he does, I was quite surprised…oh wait you were being sarcastic. Thanks Ginny."

Ginny beamed at her shamelessly and shrugged. "You stopped! You still haven't told me when _you_ started to have feelings for him just that you read a children's story together the day after you went psycho at him. I swear you're doing this to tease me!" She narrowed her eyes and waited expectantly. "Well?" She demanded when Hermione simply sat there in silence.

"Oh you're done now?" Enquired Hermione, "I guess I _could_ tell you about that seeing how nicely you asked."

"Okay fine I'm sorry! Pretty pretty please with nargles on top tell me what changed between you two. There, is that better?"

Hermione chuckled and nodded, grinning again. "Yep, that's better."

Ginny rolled her eyes impatiently and waited for Hermione to speak.

"Well he was a bit funny the next day and he disappeared after breakfast with Dumbledore but he wouldn't tell me why…"

_FLASHBACK_

"_Where have you been?" Hermione demanded as she dropped into the seat next to Draco at lunch. "Surely you didn't hide out in the Slytherin common room all morning?"_

_Draco shot her a pleading look as Remus, who had decided to stay to prepare his lessons and keep a fatherly eye on Hermione, glanced over at them, intrigued by Hermione's questions._

"_Sorry." Hermione grumbled, helping herself to the chicken soup in front of them and grabbing a crusty roll from the dish next to it. "I was curious, that's all." She was hurt, he could tell, that he hadn't confided in her before he disappeared and by his reluctance to tell her now._

"_After lunch," he said slowly, "we go back to our common room and I'll tell you there. Alone." He stressed, knowing Remus was listening in on their conversation. Seemingly content with his response Hermione nodded and proceeded to finish her soup as quickly as possible while retaining some form of eating etiquette. As he'd been at lunch earlier than Hermione, Draco finished first. He waited patiently for her to finish her food before standing and offering her his arm. She took it, shooting him a curious look, and they walked back to their shared common room in silence._

_As soon as the portrait was shut Hermione dropped his arm and turned to face him. "So," she started, "where have you been all morning?" She asked, fixing him with a look that dared him to fob her off._

"_I was -with Dumbledore and some of the Order." Draco admitted. Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise, definitely not having suspected that would be his answer. "I was giving them information which would help put my father in Azkaban where he belongs. I had letters where he boasts of the plans he has despite Voldermort's downfall. They arrested him just before lunch but Dumbledore wanted me to stay in his office until he was safely away. That's where I've been."_

_Tears pricked Hermione's eyes. "But why?" She questioned softly._

"_It was seeing you that did it actually," he admitted much to her surprise, "when I saw how much your parent's death hurt you and how pointless it was I finally got it into my head just how wrong my own parents' views were. My mother had already been taken away because she was captured by Tonks but my father had escaped. I wanted him to be punished for what he'd done. He's scheduled for a Dementor's Kiss in the next few days."_

_Hermione was shocked at how detached his voice was when relaying this piece of news. She knew his father had done awful things but Draco seemed so removed from that piece of news it struck a slight nerve. Nevertheless the magnitude of what Draco had done overpowered her with appreciation. She flung her arms around him. It was his turn to be shocked now. He knew she'd be pleased hearing about his father but he hadn't been expecting this. She turned her head slightly, so she could speak clearly. "Thank you." She whispered thickly, tears streaming down her cheeks._

"Wow." Ginny was staring at Hermione in surprise. "Everyone wondered who sold out Lucius. It was the Ministry's closely guarded secret. Not even Harry was told, even though he was there on training when they arrested him. He tried to pull the 'but I'm _Harry Potter_' stunt but it didn't work. Who'd have thought it…" She trailed off before remembering why exactly she had just found out. "So he saved your life then got the man who essentially signed off on your parent's death arrested despite it being his father. Pretty grand if you ask me. So I'm assuming you were beginning to have feelings for this reformed Draco?"

Hermione nodded. "He was sweet and funny. He'd read to me when I was upset and listen to me go on about S.P.E.W. even though he thought it was a load of tosh."

"So what happened? I mean if things were so great why were you back to what used to be 'normal' a few weeks into term?"

Hermione sighed despondently. "We fought." She said simply before continuing, "everyone came back and we had thought we'd continue our friendship and encourage others to follow our example. But then he ran into me when he was with Pansy. Her parent's had evaded capture so were still around pumping her head with stupid ideas about muggleborns as usual…"

_FLASHBACK_

_Hermione was heading to the shared common room with a book Harry had bought her over the holidays. Her old house had been destroyed and her copy of Jane Austen's works had been destroyed with it. Her favourite set of books. As soon as Harry had heard he'd gone to the nearest muggle shop and bought her a new set. She was planning on reading Pride and Prejudice to Draco, feeling he'd appreciate it the most of Austen's novels._

_She was just coming up to the common room when she heard Pansy's voice. "Oh Draco it must be horrible for you to be sharing a common room with her. Do you have to spend time there? Can't you just stay in our common room?"_

"_It wouldn't be there if I didn't need to spend time in it Pansy. Honestly, it's fine. She's not that bad you know."_

_Hermione smiled to herself as she listened to Draco defend her. She was about to make her presence known when Pansy scoffed._

_"Careful Draco or people might begin to think you've turned into a blood traitor like the Weasleys." The threat in her voice was obvious. Hermione knew Draco would have to be careful to avoid arousing Pansy's suspicions and having her parent's show up at school with any remaining Death Eaters._

_Regardless it still froze her to the spot when she heard his response. "Oh Pansy," he drawled, sniggering at her, "as if I'd have anything to do with a mudblood voluntarily."_

_She wanted the wall behind her to swallow her – not a ridiculous request given the magic of the castle – so she never had to see him again. There was a difference between avoiding suspicion and the hateful tone Draco had just used. He'd even used that word again. After he'd apologised multiple times for using it in the first place. All of his apologies were now worthless and Hermione felt ashamed she'd believed in them, believed in him, so readily. She came to as she heard Pansy bid Draco goodbye and approach her hiding place. Hermione hurriedly wiped a few tears from her face and gave Pansy her best scowl as she swept past her and into the common room._

_There, oblivious to the fact she'd overheard him, Draco came towards her with a smile and outstretched arms. She glared at him causing him to stop. "What's wrong?" He asked, concern filling his features. Hermione wondered if he really cared._

"_I heard you talking to Pansy." She informed him coolly, watching as horror flickered over his face._

"_Hermione you have to understand I was trying-"_

_She cut him off. "YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO USE THAT WORD" she screamed at him, throwing a nearby candlestick at him. He ducked and it clattered against the tiled flooring around the fireplace. He stepped towards her but she was quicker. He stopped dead as she pointed her wand at him. "I never want to speak to you again." She whispered harshly before she picked up her bag from the floor and left, seeking the refuge of the newly-opened library._


	16. Chapter 16

_A.N: I've used a line from the Deathly Hallows here. I won't say what the quote is, I want to see who can guess it (answers in a message/review/your own head). I've kept Hermione's part the same but changed who says it to her._

_Also a quick note to say thank you for so many reviews. Crikey I never expected this many! Anyway, on with the story!_

"That git!" Ginny had jumped up as soon as Hermione had finished relaying past events to her and sped towards the door. Hermione stretched out and managed to grab Ginny's wrist, pulling her back to listen.

"I wasn't finished Ginny. Don't go marching off before you know it all." Hermione's voice was soothing and Ginny sat down on the bed slightly calmer, although her cheeks were still flushed with anger.

"Fine, so what did he do?"

"Well nothing at first, but then he sent me this…" Hermione reached into her bedside table and, after a brief rummage, pulled out a crumpled letter. Without saying anything else she handed Ginny the letter and leant back against the bed's headboard, waiting silently for her to read through it and give her opinion.

_Dear Hermione_

_Please don't destroy this letter I beg of you. Not without reading it properly first. I'm assuming when you heard Pansy and I the other day you only heard, not saw, us. Had you seen us you would have seen Pansy showing me a piece of paper. I was planning on speaking to you when you got into our common room about it but you had no desire to speak to me then. And rightly so based upon what you heard._

_However Pansy showed me a note from her parents, threatening to find me and any of the traitors I now associated with if they found out I was indeed no longer interested in all things dark. Pansy showed me the note just after I defended you. I know where her allegiance lies and she would have suggested you up to her parents as easy bait for me to come running into their trap. They would have killed both you and I without the slightest hesitation. I care not for my own welfare but for yours. As you have already experienced I automatically defend you from potential harm. There is no reason for this other than my feelings for you which, in case you have not already guessed, are somewhat amorous over platonic comradeship._

_I will be in the common room tonight awaiting your response. If you ignore this letter and do not show up I shall understand. I promise to leave you alone as much as I can outside of our head duties._

_Yours,_

_Draco_

Ginny stared at the letter for a while once she'd finished reading it. "I don't understand," she said finally, "if you didn't go then he said he'd leave you alone…but you went back to the way you were before the final battle. What exactly happened?"

"We agreed to keep up the façade in public for Draco's safety. On the night of the Yule ball, unbeknownst to us, the Order rounded up the last few death eaters so Draco was safe. Dumbledore told him to pursue that which he had been holding back from and so Draco did. He went to the Yule ball and noticed me as soon as he saw me dancing. He recognised me when no one else did."

"But you avoided him after the Yule ball. He kissed you and unmasked you and you avoided him."

"Pansy had been pursuing him for ages. Eventually she made him give in and I found them kissing. I shut myself off from him emotionally, suggesting we stayed as friends and keep pretending in public. I assumed he'd cheated on Pansy when he kissed me at the Yule ball, that he hadn't actually recognised me and was disappointed when he unmasked me so I stayed away."

"Until he saw fit to finally convince you otherwise. Honestly Hermione for the smartest witch of our age you can be really dense sometimes." Ginny sniggered, folding up Draco's letter and placing it back in the drawer. "So, back to the present and this new issue. Despite all of Draco's persistence and reassurances regarding his feelings for you, you think he'll freak out about one little kiss you accidentally had with Harry? Really?"

Hermione blushed. When Ginny laid it out like that her reluctance really did seem silly.

"Fine," she relented, "but you have to do something too." Hermione knew Ginny, knew something needed to be done.

"Easy. What do you want me to do?" Ginny grinned, used to dares from her siblings and eager for the challenge.

"You talk to Harry. Properly. And you admit you still have feelings for him. I can tell Dean's just a decoy, a distraction from your hurt that Harry seemed to have feelings for me."

"But he does have feelings for you. I'm not playing second fiddle to my best friend, sorry Hermione."

Hermione scoffed. "Please, Harry's feelings for me are not real. It's a brief crush brought on by the sheer amount of time we've spent together alone discussing things in the open way we have in our friendship. Poor bloke gets his heart broken by the love of his life, his female best friend is the only person who'll talk to him and they can really confide in each other so he thinks he's getting feelings for her. It's simple really."

"Brilliant Hermione, truly." Ginny beamed at her friend and threw her arms around her.

"Actually I'm highly logical, which allows me to look past extraneous detail and perceive clearly that of which others overlook" Hermione spluttered the words out through Ginny's hair, secretly pleased that she'd made things up with the girl. As much as Harry was a good friend, it was nice having a girl to talk to every now and then.

Ginny practically bounced up from the bed and dragged Hermione towards the door. "Well come on then," she urged, "let's go find our boys."

Hermione giggled despite her nerves and allowed Ginny to lead her down the stairs. She waited at the portrait hole to see Harry's look of surprise as Ginny leant down and kissed him. It was a good thing she'd already broken up with Dean, Hermione mused to herself, or Harry would have received an angry punch from the boy who was watching them across the common room. It was nice to know that Ginny had some sense in her when it came to solving romantic problems. Hopefully things would go as well with Draco as they had for Ginny and Harry. Hermione doubted it thought. Draco was never one to remain jealousy free.


	17. Chapter 17

Hermione rounded the corner before the dungeons and was about to descend the staircase when she spotted the strangest pair ever. Mere feet in front of her stood Ron and Draco engaged in actual conversation. Ron appeared to be delivering some kind of news to Draco, who looked even paler than usual. Hermione was about to call out to them when Draco grabbed Ron by the shoulders and slammed in into the wall.

"Where's Potter?" Draco snarled in a startled Ron's face. Ron paled and stammered for a moment before Hermione stepped in, placing a hand on Draco's shoulder. He shrugged it off instantly before turning to see who it is. When he saw her concerned face he sneered at her. "Done with lover boy Potter have you Hermione _dear_?"

Confusion flickered over Hermione's face. How had he found out? Ron shifted in Draco's grip and coughed nervously. "Erm, Malfoy can I go now?" He asked quietly, hoping to avoid anymore of the boy's wrath. Draco released Ron from his grip and Ron happily ran off down the corridor away from them. Knowing Draco's temper was simply simmering inside him and needed to be dealt with quickly; Hermione took his hand and led him to a nearby empty classroom.

She locked the door behind her before turning to face her boyfriend, who had slumped down onto one of the desks at the back of the classroom. "Now what," she demanded, "was _that_ all about?"

Draco rolled his eyes and sighed. "Weasel told me what you and Potter get up to in the common room at nights." He spat, his eyes practically sparking with hate. "_He's just a friend, he's lonely, nothing's going on_" he simpered, imitating Hermione, "nothing my arse!" He was shouting now. Hermione jumped, surprised by the sudden burst of anger from him. Her reaction seemed to calm him. "How long has it been going on?" He whispered, stunning Hermione by how quickly he'd transitioned to angered lover to defeat.

"He kissed me once, he was confused about Ginny and the amount of time we were spending together and became convinced he had feelings for me. Nothing since then has happened and I was just coming to tell you. Now what crackpot theory did Ron come up with?"

"That you two had been going at it in the common room when everyone else was in bed…" Draco trailed off, blushing as he realised how quickly he'd accepted the titbit from Ron as truth before speaking to Hermione. "I'm sorry." He murmured, desperately reaching out for her. She allowed herself to be pulled into an embrace for a while before pulling back.

"You shouldn't have believed Ron so quickly." She told him sternly.

"I know." He muttered, looking very much like a small child being told off.

"You should have come to me and asked about it rather than flying off the handle…" she trailed off, watching him curiously, "but in a way it's good you care so much for me that someone else having notions of affection towards me angers you." She smiled and looped one arm around his neck lazily. "I'd be worried if you didn't give a hoot to be honest." She admitted, "although that doesn't mean you can punch Harry. He's back with Ginny now and we've sorted it out." Her warning was stern and he knew that she would be extremely angry with him if he bothered trying to organise an 'accident' for Harry. Silently he nodded and wound an arm around her waist.

"So you don't want me to hurt him but you're glad I was jealous?" He asked, wanting to make sure.

She nodded, a small grin creeping onto her face.

"Why?" He enquired, completely baffled by her logic.

"Jealously in small doses mean you care. Healthy jealousy is good because you won't take me for granted that way. It's similar to me wanting to punch Pansy every time she drapes herself over you and simpering in that way she does. Now if I were to develop feelings like that for every girl who spoke to you or even looked at you then that would be worrying and a problem. As it is, the fact it bothered you when Ron told you that stuff shows you give a damn about me."

He squinted in confusion, causing a stifled giggle to escape her pursed lips. "Don't bother trying to work it out." She informed him adoringly, "it will just confuse you." And before he could think of a smart response she'd kissed him.


	18. Chapter 18

The next week passed pleasantly enough, even if Ron and Draco still broke out into bickering behind Hermione's back every other day it was nowhere near as bad as it was before. Admittedly the Slytherins weren't exactly happy about his relationship with the girl he'd once tortured but nobody dared say anything to his face for fear of the hexes Draco, or indeed Hermione herself, knew.

Draco usually sat with the trio for meals and spent his free time in the heads common room regardless of Hermione's presence. She was spending a lot of time with Ginny since they'd repaired their friendship and he wasn't going to be the one who stood in the way of it.

The first sign of tension appeared when Pansy was waiting for him one day outside the heads' common room entrance with a satisfied smile on her face. "Good morning Draco." Before he could even attempt to sneak past her she was linking arms with him as if nothing had changed. He tried to shake her off but she gripped his arm tighter. "I wouldn't do that if I were you Draco. I have some news that might interest you."

"I highly doubt it Parkinson. Unless you've finally realised the function of your brain and decided to use it that is?"

Pansy's face flushed with rage but she held back from a snippy remark, surprising Draco. Instead she simpered and readjusted her arm so it sat more comfortably. He hadn't realised it but they were walking towards the great hall, attracting confused stares from students in their year who knew about the tensions between Draco and the other Slytherins. "Oh no Draco. This is news much more beneficial for you to know than it is if I were to keep it to myself. I want to help you. This news will make you see sense."

He couldn't help himself, his curiosity was officially intrigued. "What exactly is this life changing piece of news then Pansy."

She rolled her eyes and came to a sudden halt, causing Draco to stumble a bit from the unexpected move. She was watching him with a curious look on her face and Draco was fast losing what little patience he had.

"What is it Pansy? I don't have time for games!"

He knew straight away that he shouldn't have snapped at her, it was now obvious from the look of pain on her face that she had genuinely wanted to help him in some kind of twisted way. She unhooked her arm from his and took a step back, moving closer to the great hall doors. She gave him a sad smile which clearly said she wanted to hug him. Draco felt a flicker of trepidation. What was this news? News so important that he didn't know but, apparently, needed to know as quickly as possible.

"It will be on the front page of the Prophet. The Dementors have rebelled again, they've left Azkaban. But they weren't the only ones who left. Several prisoners escaped. Including your father."

Draco frowned, confused. "But my father was killed. Well, he got the Dementor's Kiss which is close enough."

"Draco what do you know about the kiss?" Pansy saw the look of sulky resignation on his face and guessed that in reality he hadn't bothered to find out about the Dementor's kiss other than the fact that it removed the soul. "You can live without your soul. You have no feelings, no rational logic. You function on primeval instinct and the last thoughts you had on your mind. I overheard McGonagall and Dumbledore talking this morning about it, about your father. The last thought on his mind was you and Hermione...Draco he's going to hunt you both down and kill you."

What little colour Draco usually had in his face seeped out as the horror of the situation made itself at home within him. "But I'm his son!"

"You sold him to the ministry and went against your pure-blood status by dating Hermione. Your dad was always banging on about it and it was the last thing on his mind when they administered the kiss. It doesn't matter that you're his son anymore. I told you, he won't have feelings that lend themselves to mercy because of familial ties."

"When was the breakout?"

"Does that really matter?"

"WHEN PANSY?"

"Yesterday morning. The Ministry didn't want to confirm it until they had to. Now they have to because of the prisoners escaping." She paused for a moment, as if considering whether or not to broach the next subject in her mind. "Draco," evidently she'd decided to, "won't that Order thing Dumbledore set up help you?"

"Maybe...maybe." Draco strode past her, his mind set on finding Hermione as soon as possible and keeping her within his sight until his father was caught again or killed. He paused just before he entered the great hall and turned back to look at Pansy properly. She looked miserable. Hearing that his footsteps had stopped she looked up at him in confusion. "Thank you Pansy." She smiled weakly at him and a tear trickled down her cheek.

"I'm sorry about how I was before. My parents made me...and I was upset because you picked her over me. I was hurt."

"You were an idiot Pansy." She looked back at the floor in shame. Draco sighed quietly and made the few steps back to her. He pulled her into a hug and stroked her hair. "But you made up for it then. Won't you're parents be made when they find out you've told me specifics that I doubt will be in the paper? I'm sure they'd love it if I was killed off after my 'blood traitor' act."

Pansy pulled away from him and shook her head, "I don't care anymore. I went to Dumbledore today and told him I wanted out from their rule, the death eater rule. You were right Draco, parroting our parents' ideals might have made them happy but it made us blind. Dumbledore's going to help me."

Draco smiled properly for the first time since he'd seen Pansy that morning. "I'm glad." He told her gently.

She returned his smile before pushing him away softly. "Go and find Hermione," she instructed him, "I know you're dying to make sure she knows and that she's okay." She saw him hesitate and pushed him again. "I'll be fine. Go."

Draco rushed into the great hall and over to the Gryffindor table just as the morning post arrived. With it were several copies of the Daily Prophet, each one bearing his father's picture on the cover. Draco quickly located Hermione and greeted her with a kiss. She smiled absent mindedly as she paid the delivery owl bringing her a copy of the newspaper. Before she had a chance to even take in the front cover Draco had pulled her up and along the room back into the entrance hall.

"Draco, what's going on?"

"We need to speak to Dumbledore. Pansy said he's still in his office."

"Pansy? What?"

"I'll explain once we're there, we need to hurry."

They were in such a rush that they didn't notice one of the owls following them along the corridor. Hermione finally spotted it as they rounded the corner before Dumbledore's office. She dug in her heels and pointed at the owl. Tied to its leg was a red envelope that was smoking at the edges. A howler. Hermione had only experienced a howler once, back in second year when Harry and Ron had taken Mr Weasley's modified car and flown it to Hogwarts. Knowing they'd hear the contents anyway she reached up to take the envelope. It was addressed to Draco. Wordlessly she passed the envelope to him. Casting a cautious look around the corridor Draco quickly opened the envelope and let it drop to the floor. The eerie voice of Lucius Malfoy echoed around them issuing a stark warning to his son:

"I will make you watch as I kill your mudblood. And then I shall kill you."

The envelope burst into flames and silence fell again. A short distance down the corridor a figure appeared. Without them noticing him, the figure approached the couple and cleared his throat to announce his presence. In one move Draco had whirled round with his wand out and pushed Hermione behind him. The wise eyes of Albus Dumbledore took in the scared boy and indicated his office. Draco lowered his wand, but didn't put it away, and took Hermione's hand before following their head master into his office. When they had sat down around his desk Dumbledore finally spoke.

"So it appears you know about your father. Alas I cannot guarantee it will work but I do have a plan."


	19. Chapter 19

It was getting dark when Dumbledore finally allowed Draco and Hermione to leave his office, assuring them that everything had been set up for the plan he'd just outlined. He suggested Hermione tell Harry, Ron and Ginny to ease their minds before packing and meeting him in the front hall in half an hour.

Ginny was the first one to notice Hermione's presence in the common room and immediately jumped up from Harry's lap to greet her friend. "Hermione, we saw about Draco's father in the _Prophet_. Where have you been all day?"

Hermione sighed and collapsed on the sofa next to Ron, indicating they should gather closely to avoid being overheard. "Dumbledore has kept Draco and I in his office all day while the Order checked and secured the castle as Lucius sent Draco a howler quite easily threatening to kill me in front of Draco and then kill him. I have about twenty minutes to pack and then we're being moved off site to a secret house. Dumbledore didn't really tell us much as he was with the Order most of the day checking the school."

The others simply stared at her in shock for a moment before exploding all at once:

"That's not fair!"

"You'll be just as safe here!"

"Can we come with you? We can protect you!"

The last suggestion had come from Harry in all his hero-complex glory. Hermione forced back a smile and shook her head gently at him. "A group of us vanishing from school looks suspicious. They would guess we're together and it would be easier to look for us. If just Draco and I disappear for a while people would guess we'd simply run away. Unfortunately we have to leave because as lovely as it would be, Hogwarts isn't completely safe thanks to the remaining Death Eater children." Hermione held up her hand as Ron opened his mouth to say something. "You could speak to Dumbledore and see if he'll let you visit. Otherwise I'll just have to work out a method to keep in contact with you all."

A thoughtful look came over Harry's face before he ran up to his room, returning moments later with the mirror Sirius had given Harry years ago. "Take this; I got the second one repaired. I'll give it to Ginny and you can keep in contact that way. Nobody else can monitor conversation going on between the two mirrors unless they're close to where you are and overheard. It'll be a lot safer than Floo or owls."

Hermione threw her arms around him gratefully and pocketed the mirror, pushing herself up from the sofa as she did so. "I need to go and pack," she said regretfully, "Ginny will you come with me?" The red-haired girl nodded as expected and the girls left the boys to ponder what had just happened.

Ginny, to her credit, waited until they were in Hermione's room before rounding on her. "You know where you're going don't you?"

"Of course I do but if I told the boys they'd want to come and look after me. It's the wizarding village mocked up to look like a muggle one. Half of the Order lives there, including Dumbledore and Remus. I believe your dad went there once during a day off from work. That way we can stay protected but it's not somewhere obvious like the Burrow, which would put your family in danger. Plus I think if we stayed there and Charlie showed up, Draco might well punch him."

Ginny snorted with laughter. "That's true. He is rather the jealous type and my brother was an idiot." She handed Hermione a folded up towel and watched as Hermione shrunk it to fit into a small suitcase. "Do you think they'll catch him soon?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper from fear.

Hermione sighed. "I don't know Gin. I hope they do, I really do. But nobody knows how he of all people got out."

The pair of them fell silent as Ginny handed Hermione various items from around the room, Hermione shrinking them and placing them carefully into the small suitcase. Finally, when they were done and Hermione's room was quite bare, Ginny let out a mournful sniff. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too Ginny, but we'll have the mirrors. This is the only way the Order can guarantee me safety until they've finished building a new safe house up to Grimmauld Place's security standards."

"I can't bear to imagine how the boys will cope without you, who'll do their homework now?"

A hysterical laugh escaped from Hermione's mouth and the girls, half-laughing and half-sobbing, pulled each other into a fierce hug.

They were just pulling apart when a school owl flew through Hermione's open window. She unfolded the note and saw Draco's familiar scribble:

_Ready?_

She hastily replied and sent the owl on its way, shut her suitcase and ushered Ginny out of her bedroom. Ron and Harry stood waiting for them at the bottom of the staircase, both looking as sombre as Hermione felt. Hogwarts was home, she didn't want to leave even if it was for her safety. However she knew there would be no point in arguing and causing a fuss so she allowed Harry to carry her suitcase to the entrance hall for her and tolerated the woeful looks Ron kept shooting her way.

Draco and Dumbledore were stood in a dark corner of the entrance hall, seemingly invisible to the various students passing through, discussing something. Hermione noticed that Draco looked irritated and made a mental note to ask him about it later. Dumbledore noticed their arrival and promptly stopped the conversation with Draco, stepping out of the shadows to greet the group of friends.

"Ah Miss Granger I see you are packed and ready to depart."

"I wouldn't exactly say ready sir, but I am packed." Draco sidled up to the group and slipped a comforting hand into Hermione's, squeezing it quickly before linking fingers with her. Ginny hugged both of them goodbye tearfully, warning Draco to look after Hermione with threats of various hexes should he fail. As Draco snorted and retorted to Ginny, Hermione turned to Ron and Harry for a separate goodbye. She highly doubted they would be as generous with their goodbye to Draco as Ginny was.

"Look after yourself Hermione," Harry stepped forward first as Ron seemed to be debating what to say to her, "and don't forget you can record messages on the mirrors, a bit like a voicemail on a mobile." They shared a grin at the muggle technology that none of the others would know about and Harry pulled her into a fierce hug. "Thanks for getting Ginny back to me by the way." He whispered through her hair. Hermione shrugged, not really knowing what to say, and tightened her grip on Harry.

An awkward cough made them break apart and Hermione turned beaming to Ron. Knowing she'd have to make the first move with Ron, as she always did, Hermione stepped forward and pulled him into a loose hug. "I'm sorry for everything rubbish I've done 'Mione," Ron mumbled, pulling her closer to him than he'd ever done, "I was a git."

Hermione laughed and nodded against his shoulder. "You were, but you always make up for it. Just promise me you'll do your homework and revision!"

Ron snorted. "Yeah right, you know I'd be lying if I promised that. I'll try though." He hastily amended himself upon receiving Hermione's glare.

Draco approached the trio. "Weasley, Potter." He nodded an acknowledgement at them and, after some reluctance, offered his hand. Harry, always the more level headed of the two boys, grabbed Draco's hand and shook it.

"Be careful, both of you."

Draco nodded again, his expression grim. "We will."

"Keep her safe!" Ron blurted out suddenly, grabbing Draco's hand as Harry let it go. Hermione wasn't sure if it was a plea or a demand.

Draco shot Ron a look that was half a grimace and half a smile. "I'll die before she's hurt." He told the boys, giving Ron's hand a shorter shake than Harry's. Ron nodded, accepting Draco's vow.

"We should go now, before dinner starts." Hermione said reluctantly. She pulled the boys and Ginny into one last hug before taking Draco's hand and turning to Dumbledore. "We're ready to go now sir." She informed the headmaster, who had been watching the friends' goodbyes all this time. He nodded and indicated Hermione should take his arm to allow all three of them to side-apparate – Dumbledore had allowed the anti-apparation charms to be removed from the great hall for a set amount of time that evening. Just before her hand closed on the old man's elbow Hermione caught Harry's gaze. "I'll see you soon." She whispered, not sure if he'd hear her over the sound of oncoming students. She thought she saw him nod before Dumbledore twisted and the scene in front of her fell in on itself.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

When Hermione's vision righted itself she could see a small cottage in front of them, the lights on in a couple of rooms and smoke coming out of the chimney. It looked so welcoming that Hermione wished they'd apparated into the building rather than outside.

"All the cottages in this area have an anti-apparation shield up around them so nobody except the owner can apparate in." Dumbledore informed them, as if having known Hermione's thoughts. Come to think of it, he probably had.

"Who owns this house then? Why are we here?" Draco questioned, eying the cottage warily as if it were about to come to alive and attack him.

Dumbledore merely smiled at him and ushered them forward, through the gate, and up to the front door. He pushed the doorbell and waited patiently for the cottage's occupant to open the front door.

Hermione knew that a lot of the Order lived in this village. She wasn't aware of quite _which_ members were present but she hoped it was someone she got on well with. She'd rather be greeted with Remus or Kingsley than Mundungus Fletcher. What she wasn't expecting to see when the door finally opened was red hair, very familiar red hair.

"Charlie good evening, I trust everything is in order and I can leave these two with you?" Dumbledore pushed Draco and Hermione into the hallway and promptly turned on his heel, walking out of the gate before apparating back to Hogwarts. Hermione wondered if he knew what had happened over Christmas.

Sighing she turned back around to face Charlie Weasley with as much confidence as she could muster and wished that Draco would keep his cool. "Hello Charlie" she said, her voice cool and polite as if she'd never met him before – let alone spent several weeks kissing him. Beside her she felt Draco tense up as realisation set in exactly who it was standing in front of them.

Charlie had somehow managed to miss the angry look Draco currently had fixed on him and offered the younger boy his hand. "Hiya, I'm Charlie. Who are you?"

Draco, with great reluctance, accepted Charlie's hand. "Draco."

"It's nice to meet you Draco. So, Hermione, why exactly are you two here? Dumbledore was pretty sketchy on the details."

You'd have to be Ron not to notice the tension in the room. Hermione faked a yawn and smiled apologetically at Charlie. "Actually I'd rather not explain now, especially if Dumbledore is keeping details quiet. I'm not sure what we're allowed to talk about. Would you be able to show us to our cottage please?"

"Sure thing," Charlie beamed at her and pulled on a jacket hanging up nearby. "Let me take your suitcase for you?" He offered, already reaching for Hermione's suitcase before she could respond.

Draco's hand shot out and grabbed the handle just as Charlie was about to. "I've got it, don't worry." Draco smirked at Charlie, who simply looked bemused.

"Fine, follow me." He offered his arm to Hermione, shrugging when she discretely shook her head, and led the way out of the cottage. A short walk later they arrived at a slightly smaller cottage, which was sitting in darkness. Charlie muttered a spell as they walked up the short gravel path and the three of them watched as the lights flickered on, room by room. Draco entered the building first, leaving Hermione and Charlie outside.

Hermione was about to follow Draco inside when Charlie reached out for her, stopping her at once. Although she didn't turn around Charlie smiled, at least she didn't hate him.

"You never replied to my letter." He chided her gently.

"I didn't have anything nice to say" she retorted at once.

"Ouch"

"I'm sorry Charlie," Hermione sighed and wished she'd followed Draco inside when she'd had the chance. "What exactly did you want me to say?" She asked quietly.

"I don't know, I just wanted _something_ and you never responded to me. Ginny told me it upset you but you simply vanished off my radar. Owls returned with no reply or the original letter and I assumed you hated me. I guess I just wanted to know how you felt. I really did feel terrible about it you know."

Yep, this was a conversation Hermione really had wanted to avoid. "Anything I sent to you would have been in a howler. I was upset that you didn't seem to think of using me as a reason to avoid the marriage law being enforced. Then I got over it. I never got any letters after that so I can't answer what happened to them, perhaps Harry or Ginny dealt with them so I didn't have to?"

Charlie took a while to respond, seemingly weighing up his words. "I didn't want to get you involved," he finally said, "You were young and we hadn't discussed the future seriously enough for me to demand that you get embroiled in such a case."

"Well you made me feel like a fool. Not that it matters anymore. So how _is_ the case going?"

"Well thank you, the judge seems to be leaning in my favour although I don't find out the verdict until Easter."

"Good, good."

There was a silence between them. Hermione was about to speak up and say goodnight to Charlie when he took a step closer to her. "You look beautiful by the way" he whispered to her, his fingers softly trailing a pattern along her arm. Hermione took a small step backwards.

"Thank you," she replied in a quiet voice, "but I have a boyfriend now Charlie so that comment is inappropriate."

"A boyfriend, huh?" His asked, surprise and regret evident in his voice, "who's the guy?"

Draco chose that moment to appear at the doorway. Looking irked to discover that Charlie was still there, he reached out and wrapped an arm around Hermione. "It's getting cold Hermione, I've started the fire up inside for you. I figured we could cook together."

Hermione leant into Draco's embrace to silently indicate to Charlie an answer to his question. "Of course, I'll come in now. Goodnight Charlie." She nodded at Charlie and quickly stepped inside the house, desperate to get away from him. Draco followed soon after.

"So that was dragon boy huh?" He asked, wrapping his arms around Hermione properly. She nodded against his chest.

"No need for you to worry yourself though pretty boy," she informed him, smiling up at him, "so where's this fire you promised me?"


	20. Chapter 20

_I'm aware how ridiculously short this is but I wanted some kind of brief filler chapter before a few chapters of craziness._

Charlie, perhaps sensing his presence would not be appreciated, spent the next few days away from the cottage. During that time Hermione, after much persuasion from Draco, relayed exactly what had happened between them. By the time she was finished Draco looked more enraged than ever, especially when she told him what Charlie had said to her the night they had arrived.

"He is not to touch you. You are mine!" Hermione blanched at the harsh tone the demand and claim was issued in. Aware that he felt threatened but annoyed at how he reacted to it, she lowered her own tone of voice to one that was as cold and detached as possible, with a slight bite to it.

"That is not an issue. I already told you such. And I am not a possession."

She stood up from the kitchen table, picking up their plates as she did so, and headed to the sink so he could not see the hurt in her eyes. Instantly he was behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck in apology.

"I'm sorry Hermione; I didn't mean it like that." She allowed herself to relax into his arms and waited for him to continue. "It just makes me angry that he treated you so badly and just expected you to fall into his arms gratefully when he comes back with some half arsed apology."

"I already told you Draco, I informed him about us and our status. He knows I'm spoken for." Her voice was still slightly off but was calmer than before.

His hands gripped her waist and spun her round, so she was facing him. She smiled up at him hesitantly, not completely recognising the look he was now bestowing upon her.

"I love you" he whispered, brushing his lips against her forehead. She was about to reply when he silenced her. "Let me finish, please, or I won't be able to say this." She nodded, eyebrows furrowing in question, "when we were younger I was stupid and as we grew up I began to question whether I'd be able to experience love in its purest form. I didn't feel I deserved it and so I pushed any prospect away. Until you. Now I know that I can love, and I know that how I feel about you is what love is meant to truly be like. And so, Hermione, will you-"

There was an explosion in the distance and Charlie burst in, cutting off the end of Draco's sentence. He had a gash above his eye, blood collecting in his bushy eyebrow, and he was panting. "They're here" was all he said before passing out in the doorway.


	21. Chapter 21

Hermione stared in panic from the unconscious Charlie to Draco, unsure what to do. Draco dragged Charlie into the cottage and pointed his wand at the kitchen light "nox maxima." Slowly, so as not to draw attention to the cottage, the lights went out room by room. The only light they had to go on now was the moon streaming in through the kitchen window. Draco was now leaning over Charlie and muttering several healing spells before reviving the man. Charlie immediately tried to sit up and speak but Draco silenced him. "They'll have tried to follow you. Shut up and think of a way to get Hermione away safely."

He had just finished speaking when they heard a loud voice call out "Malfoy, there's more cottages over here!"

"Burn them"

Lucius Malfoy was close, he had barely raised his voice and yet it sounded as if he was outside their cottage. Noticing that Hermione could easily be seen through the window Draco grabbed her hand and pulled her down to the floor where he was still sat with Charlie. She intertwined her fingers with his and hid her face against his chest, seeking some kind of reassurance.

"Incendio!"

A small yelp emitted from Hermione when the cottage next to them burst into flames, the light from the fire spreading out across the dark night. Draco gripped Hermione tighter and manoeuvred her so that regardless of the angle they were attacked, she would be protected by him, or rather his body. She pulled back from him, a puzzled expression on her face. "What are you doing?" She whispered to him.

"Keeping my vow" Was his only response as he looked around the room, trying to find some means of escape for Hermione. He truly no longer cared about himself but he wanted her safe. "Charlie," he hissed at the silent man, "surely there's a secret escape route?"

"Draco Malfoy I am not running away!" He felt a light punch on his arm and knew that unless he stunned her and carried her out himself, there was no way he could persuade Hermione to leave. She was, after all, a true Gryffindor and used to fighting the death eaters by now. Heck, she'd probably seen more of them than he had in his lifetime. He sighed in defeat and kissed her forehead, letting her know he was resigned to accepting her decision.

Behind them Charlie was muttering a spell. "What are you doing?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Charming the cottage, if they set fire to it flames will appear but nothing inside will be harmed. They're getting people by quite literally smoking them out. They nearly got Mundungus that way."

Draco managed a small smile towards him. "Thank you, for protecting her." Was all he said before a loud voice sounded outside the front door:

"Hello? Is anybody home? I'm looking for my son and his mudblood slut," silence, "no? Well then, _Incendio_."

The cottage lit up in flames, but nothing else happened.

"Oh honestly, did they think we wouldn't notice?" The flames were extinguished and the door burst open. Standing there, silhouetted by the other fires around them and looking every inch the mad man they knew him to be, was Lucius Malfoy. "Hello Draco" he drawled, "come to daddy dearest."


	22. Chapter 22

_Crap._ "Father," Draco nodded coolly while desperately trying to think of a plan to get them out of the cottage and somewhere he could keep Hermione safe. His thought process was broken when Charlie pushed a scrap of paper to him. Draco was just able to read the words on it when Lucius realised that a message had been passed.

"_Accio parchment_" He drawled lazily, flicking his wand casually at them

"_Incendio_!" Hermione suddenly found her voice and the parchment burnt, its ashes scattering to the ground, before it reached Lucius.

He narrowed his pale eyes at her, "you'll pay for that mudblood" he promised, advancing towards them. Hermione stood rooted to the spot and merely glared back at him.

Charlie stepped forward, flinging his arms out in front of Draco and Hermione. "Take her Draco," he told the blonde boy, "I'll take care of daddy Malfoy."

Lucius halted his advance. If Hermione didn't know all his emotions were gone, she would've said he looked surprised at the second eldest Weasley's actions. Draco was grabbing her arm and trying to drag her backwards towards what she knew as a hidden side doorway in the living room. She desperately wanted to stay and help. "For goodness sake Hermione, go!" Charlie yelled, not breaking eye contact with Lucius. Hermione allowed herself to be pulled out of the room, stumbling a little as she tried to make sure Charlie was okay. Charlie had his wand trained on Lucius, matching any step the convict made and effectively blocking the route to Draco and Hermione.

He sneered at Charlie and uttered the words Hermione had both anticipated and dreaded since being captured by Bellatrix the previous year. "_Crucio_."

She heard Charlie's cry of pain but Draco wouldn't allow her to stop. He kept dragging her, fixed on their end destination which was still a mystery to her. He paused at the edge of the cottage, as if only just remembering that there were other death eaters in the area. He pulled out his wand and tapped Hermione over the head. At once she knew what he had done. The trickling feeling Harry described matched her current experience perfectly and she knew he was casting a disillusion charm over both of them. He then continued their journey in complete silence, and she knew better to question where they were going. Thankfully Draco's spell held strong and they managed to sneak past several small clusters of death eaters, including Fenir Greyback.

Finally, after walking uphill for what felt like forever in the oppressing darkness, Draco stopped, pulled out a piece of parchment from his pocket, scribbled something on it and held it for Hermione to see. She realised there must be some form of safe house nearby hidden by the fidelius charm that was to be used in severe emergencies. She whispered the same fire charm from before and they both waited for the house to reveal itself to them. Two large oak trees to their right bent outwards, as if a giant was forcing his way through, and a small rundown looking shack materialised. Hermione could see a little light in the window and a small fireplace. Someone moved inside and Hermione jumped, before remembering that she was still invisible to anyone who could possibly be standing nearby.

Draco approached the door and knocked three times, without waiting for a response he pushed open the door and entered the shack, pulling Hermione in with him. Once inside he removed their disillusion charms, making themselves known to the person who was staring expectantly at the doorway where they stood. They stepped forward into the light and Hermione gasped as she realised who was waiting for them and grinning in recognition at her.

"Fred?"

"Good guess Granger. Don't suppose you saw George out there did you? He ran off as soon as we saw Dung running out of his cottage with death eaters after him. Speaking of…where's Charlie?"

"My father found us, your brother allowed us to escape and keep Hermione safe by delaying my father."

Fred's usually flushed face paled and worry took over his usually perky features.

Hermione's heart dropped. She should have stayed. She should have fought. Between all three of them, they could have taken on Lucius. Instead they'd left Charlie alone…

"I'm sorry Fred," she whispered tearfully, "we don't know what happened to him. He just told us to come here."

Fred nodded mutely and a strained silence fell over the shack. Minutes passed and the fireplace flashed green, emitting a stream of wizards and causing the small shack to become quite crowded. The last people out were Harry and Ron. "Hermione!" Ron cried out joyfully, flinging his arms around her. Harry joined them, noticing the fretful look on Hermione's face.

"What happened?" He quietly asked her.

"He…he showed up with the death eaters. They set fire to the cottages and Charlie did something to stop the cottage being damaged. Malfoy came in and Charlie stayed to fight him…to let us get here safely."

Ron pulled away slightly, his face now matching Fred's in colour. Harry, however, turned to Draco. "Thank you," he said, "for keeping her safe."

Draco regarded the boy for a moment before nodding. "I would have died before she was harmed." He reminded Harry.

At that moment Dumbledore called for silence. "Three people are to stay here at all times. Draco, Hermione and Molly; may I request you stay behind. Molly," Dumbledore cut over Mrs Weasley as she made to protest, "I understand your children are all involved in this battle but we need you here until Poppy and Minerva are sure Hogwarts is safe. You are, understandably, the most skilled at healing spells out of everybody here." Molly nodded and sagged back to her husband's arms in resignation. "We travel in groups of four or more. If someone is injured one of you bring them back here and, if possible, the remaining two find another group of us or fight back to back for maximum protection."

The rest of the Order gathered in the shack nodded, everybody's expressions grim, and began to group together. Fred instantly moved toward Ron and Harry, followed swiftly by Ginny. Molly grabbed both her son's wrists and tearfully made them promise to look after Ginny, who merely rolled her eyes and retorted that she was big enough and skilled enough to look after herself. Hermione removed Draco's arm from hers and pulled the foursome into a series of hugs. "Be safe." She told each of them. Harry hugged back the hardest.

"You too" was all he said before they followed the rest of the Order out of the shack and into the dark night, heading towards the clusters of fire indicating the cottages. Hermione could just about make out the dim outline of the only cottage not on fire – the one they had been in. As the shack door shut behind Ginny a flash of green went out across the sky, coming directly from their cottage's kitchen.


	23. Chapter 23

An almost inhuman noise escaped from Mrs Weasley's mouth and the woman sank to the floor. Letting go of Draco's hand, Hermione dropped to her knees and wrapped an arm around a sobbing Mrs Weasley.

"Charlie…my boy!" She wailed repeatedly. Hermione flashed back to similar words uttered by Amos Diggory upon discovering his son's body clung to Harry's weeping figure at the final Triwizard Tournament challenge.

"Mrs Weasley?" She whispered, unsure how to act towards the usually stoic matriarch. No response. She turned to Draco, as if he would magically have some kind of solution. He shrugged helplessly.

"Mrs Weasley," she tried again, "it might not be what we think it is. Perhaps the Order reached the cottage in time and Charlie's coming here as we speak."

Mrs Weasley stopped her chanting but acknowledged neither Hermione's arm around her, nor their presence around her.

"Mrs Weasley, the others need you. You still have several children out there fighting, not to mention your husband."

At the sound of Draco's voice both Hermione and Mrs Weasley snapped their heads in his direction.

"What?" Mrs Weasley whispered her voice hoarse from her crying.

"You're still needed. What if someone injured is brought back?"

"Don't you dare talk to me like that boy! This is your entire fault! If it weren't for you and your father, nobody would be fighting."

Draco stared at Mrs Weasley as if she had sprouted a second head. She had risen from the floor, her face flushed angrily as she approached Draco. Hermione stepped forward, placing an arm of Mrs Weasley's shoulder. "Mrs Weasley, with all due respect this is not Draco's fault. If anything he's saved many people's lives by turning his back on his father and Voldermort's ideals."

Mrs Weasley turned on Hermione "he hasn't saved my children. He hasn't saved my family; he's put them in danger!"

"My father, before his arrest, told me of a plan he was in charge of," Draco spoke in a slow voice devoid of any emotion, "it was a plan to attack the Hogwarts Express, a joke shop in Diagon Alley and a house in Ottery St. Catchpole. It was a plan to capture particular people in these areas and torture them until they became insane or begged for death. Simply for fun, simply because they were – my father said – blood traitors." Molly and Hermione both gasped, Molly looked ashamed, "So yes, I might be part of the reason that your family is out there fighting right now but surely having them aware that they need to be fighting and on the defence with the rest of the Order is better than them being singled out, unawares, and killed off one by one while you sat in your home and watched their hands on your special clock move child by child to 'dead'. Surely this is better than that?"

Tears were streaming down Molly's face now and she grasped Draco around the shoulders, pulling him into a fierce hug. "Thank you!" She wailed into his neck. Draco glanced up at Hermione, who had to restrain from giggling too loudly at the look on his face. Molly pulled away and wiped her eyes. "Thank you Draco," she repeated, having calmed herself down, "and please, call me Molly."

Draco smiled at her nervously and nodded. "Thank you…er…Molly."

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~

Fred, Ron, Harry and Ginny had also seen the green light and they too knew instantly where it had come from. "C'mon" Fred said, taking Ginny's hand and pulling her along towards the cottage. Around them the Order were outnumbering the death eaters and many masked figures were being bound and captured. These were the weaker death eaters of course, the stronger ones were killed in the final battle or else had successfully escaped and kept a low profile.

A figure jumped in front of them from the trees and tried to grab Ginny from Fred's grasp. "Mmm a pretty little red head for my dinner, how delectable!" Ginny whimpered as Greyback prowled around them, stumbling as Fred pushed her behind his body and circled with Greyback to protect his sister. Harry and Ron, having been delayed by a dense but quick death eater, finally caught up to them and realised what was going on.

"Not my bloody sister!" Ron snarled, running forward with his wand outstretched. Greyback snarled and leapt for the boy, claws out, but a green jet of light hit him in the stomach before contact could be made. The werewolf fell to the side, the predatory gleam gone from his eyes. Fred, Ron and Ginny turned to look at Harry, who had fired the spell.

"Not my girlfriend" he said, changing Ron's words slightly, "or my best mate." Ginny pulled free from Fred's grip and launched herself at Harry, who was now blushing furiously. He stroked Ginny's hair then pulled her away slightly. "C'mon" he said, "we need to get to the cottage."

Ginny nodded and, taking his hand, followed Fred and Ron, who had already begun to make their way towards the now silent building.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~

"Mum!" The door burst open and Bill and George stumbled in, carrying a bleeding Charlie between them. Molly immediately took her unconscious son from them and began to mutter healing spells, a look of grim determination on her face.

Hermione stepped up beside Bill. "What happened?" She asked softly, almost afraid of the answer, "is he…" she trailed off, unable to finish the question.

"He's alive," George told her quickly, "where's Fred?" Hermione merely pointed back out of the door and into the night, unable to take her eyes off Charlie. George ran back out of the door, shaking off Bill's hand from his shoulder.

Bill sighed and turned back to Draco and Hermione, keeping one eye on his mother and brother the entire time. "George found me as I got back from a Hogsmeade watch. He told me they'd seen Lucius and thought he knew where you two were. We made it to the cottage just after you left, Lucius was torturing Charlie when we arrived."

"What did you do to him?" She asked fearfully.

"George tried to disarm him from behind but Lucius blocked it, he turned on me and George and started fighting us. Of course he must have forgotten that certain spells don't affect a part-werewolf as much as they usually do so I could stand his Crucio. Well, he didn't like that so he kept trying to get me to break. George took the opportunity to send a patronus to the nearest Order member which, conveniently, was Dumbledore. I've never seen the old man appear so quickly. Of course Lucius wasn't going to give up without a fight, not when he was this close to getting his revenge, so Dumbledore finished him. Charlie was in a pretty bad state so we couldn't apparate; he lost consciousness soon after we left the cottage."

"'Mione?" A weak voice sounded behind them and all three turned around. Charlie was clasping his mother's hand, obviously asking about her. Molly smoothed the hair back from her son's forehead and kissed it.

"She's safe son, you did a good job." She told him fondly. A small smile managed to find its way onto Charlie's face and his eyes closed again, followed shortly by snoring.

Molly ran a few more spells before making her way over to Bill, Hermione and Draco. "He'll be fine, he just needs rest." She pulled Bill into a thankful hug and smiled after him as he made his excuses to join the battle. Hermione shut the door after him and stared out of the window. There wasn't much of a battle left from the way things looked. Nearly all the death eaters had been rounded up and the Order were beginning to take them away, no doubt to the ministry for questioning and sentencing.

It was then she saw a small group of people running up the hill towards them, carrying a body between them. As they got closer she could make out their faces. Ginny was at the front of the group, tears running down her face. Dread filled Hermione as she wrenched the door open and ran out to meet them. Ginny saw her first. "Hermione!" She cried, flinging herself upon her friend. Hermione instinctively wrapped her arms around Ginny, one eye on the rest of the group. She saw Harry making his way over to them, and Ron was at the back of the group carrying someone's leg.

"Who is it?" She asked Harry as he finally reached them.

Harry glanced back at the group and it was then Hermione noticed something. It was all the Weasley's. She peered through the small gap between Ron and Bill's shoulders as they passed and saw someone missing an ear.

"Oh, George!"

"Not George, Hermione" Harry corrected her gently.

"But, his ear…"

"Let's just say Snape likes to repeat spells."

"Fred?"

Harry nodded and almost absently rubbed Ginny's back as the rest of the Weasley's carried Fred into the shack. Just as Molly's anguished cry rang out, Draco left the building looking disgusted. Harry, as if sensing he wanted to check on Hermione, managed to convince a distraught Ginny to move from Hermione's embrace to his just as Draco grabbed Hermione and pulled him to her. The events of that night caught up with her and as Draco held her tightly, Hermione finally let herself cry.


	24. Chapter 24

"Surely they should know something by now?"

"They said they'd tell us as soon as they did, you need to be patient love."

"But it's been hours!"

Draco said nothing and watched as Hermione paced up and down the waiting room of St Mungos. On the chair beside him, Ginny had fallen into a gently doze and was leaning on Harry's shoulder. Harry sat unmoving, simply staring at the floor, and seemed not to notice his girlfriend's sleeping form. Beside Harry was Ron, who seemed to be talking to himself. Opposite them were Mr and Mrs Weasley, talking in hushed tones and glancing towards the doors every few minutes, with Bill and Charlie sat either side of their parents half-heartedly stirring ever cooling cups of tea.

As soon as it had become apparent that Mrs Weasley could do nothing further to help her sons, they had apparated to the hospital. The battle had finished and Dumbledore had sent Fawkes ahead to put the staff on alert. They had been greeted upon arrival by grim faced doctors who promptly whisked Fred away, chased by George who refused to leave his twin's side again. The doctors had eventually given up arguing with George and allowed him to stay on the basis he was silent and didn't interfere with their work. A nurse had taken Charlie aside for a check up but declared him healthy, stating he just needed to rest until the after-effects of the Crucio wore off. The wandering staff had taken up a stance of "you'll know news when there is news" with their group after being harassed every few minutes by a different Weasley.

Mrs Weasley had sent a pleading message to Percy upon arrival but the outcast Weasley had yet to respond. Despite many attempts over the years, Percy had chosen to remain estranged from his family, much to his mother's distress, as he was still convinced the Weasley name held him back from certain roles and responsibilities within the ministry. Despite his failing during the Triwizard Tournament, Percy had managed to work his way up the ministry's ranks and now held a prestigious position that nobody knew very much about – although the popular rumour was that Percy had somehow joined the ranks of the Unspeakables, which would explain the secrecy around his latest promotion.

All nine heads, including a sleepy Ginny's, looked towards the doors as they opened to allow someone into the room. Dumbledore looked somewhat apologetic as he noted the disappointment on their faces. "I apologise I am not who you were hoping," he said gravely, "has there been no news?" He asked Hermione, who was closest to him.

Hermione sighed angrily, "they say they'll tell us when something happens but it's been hours!"

Dumbledore inclined his head and retreated from the room, returning moments later with the nurse who had seen Charlie upon their arrival. She was rather red in the face, as if she'd been scolded just before entering. "Mr and Mrs Weasley?" She called out tentatively, "if you'd follow me." The parents stood up and hurried to follow the nurse out of the room. Dumbledore glanced around at the remaining Weasleys, Harry, Hermione and Draco and a small smile tugged on his features.

"I know now any specifics but I have been assured Mr Weasley is fine."

They all sagged, relieved, into their seats and waited for Mr and Mrs Weasley to return. Dumbledore took the seat next to Draco, as Hermione had taken Mrs Weasley's seat to talk to Charlie.

Draco and Dumbledore observed each other for several silent minutes before Draco spoke. "Sir?" Dumbledore cocked his head and waited for Draco to continue, "erm," Draco rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how to continue, "I'm told you were the one to…to 'deal with' my father?"

Dumbledore inclined his head again and paused before speaking. "I apologise."

"Don't." Draco told the headmaster; turning his gaze to Hermione, I'm glad he's dead."

To his surprise Dumbledore placed a hand on his arm, making him look back to the man. "You cannot hold your father in contempt Draco, it will damage you far more than you realise now. I do not mean to say we should condone his actions," he hastened to add when Draco opened his mouth to angrily protest, "but he was still your father and at one point he provided for you, at least materially."

Unable to word a response to the gentle rebuke, Draco merely nodded his head and resumed to watching Hermione across the room.

"Thank you for allowing us to escape Charlie."

Charlie looked up from his drink, surprised to see her sitting next to him. His face flushed and he allowed a small smile at her. "No problem," he said. He hesitated, having noticed Draco watching them. "So, Draco's the guy huh?" It was Hermione's turn to blush. Charlie chuckled at her, "don't worry, he seems like a good guy. I heard what he said to Harry, about how he'd die before you were hurt. He'll look after you."

"Are you saying you give your blessing or something?"

"Not at all, it's not my place to. I just wanted you to know that I'm pleased for you. And if you could reassure Draco I have no plans to kidnap you and drag you off to the dragon camp with me, otherwise I think he'll get eye strain from the glare he's sending me."

Hermione frowned at him and he nodded towards Draco, who was watching them as he sat beside Dumbledore. Hermione raised an eyebrow at him and Draco's pale face coloured slightly. 'I love you' she mouthed at him. He nodded back, still not used to public affection in most forms, and turned to engage Harry in discussion; feeling reassured that Hermione held no feelings for Charlie.

"Everyone…"

She had just turned back round to talk to Charlie when Mr Weasley walked in. He'd obviously been crying from his puffy, red eyes and hoarse voice. Hermione was on her feet at once, joined swiftly by the others. Mr Weasley looked at each of them before finally allowing himself to hint at Fred's condition. He smiled and immediately cheers broke out. Hermione weaved around hugging Weasleys until she was at Mr Weasley's side. He turned to her and gripped her by her shoulders, examining her before pulling her into an exuberant hug. "He's okay Hermione," he cried into her hair, "my Fred's okay." Hermione allowed herself to be cried over and soothingly patted Mr Weasley's arm when he regained control and apologised for any embarrassment.

Draco appeared beside her. "Walk with me?" He asked quietly. Hermione took in the scene before her and nodded. The Weasleys would not miss them for a few moments.

"I'm glad Fred's okay." Draco said, slipping his hand into hers and linking their fingers. Hermione smiled and leant into him.

"Me too."

They walked to the canteen and Draco ordered them some hot drinks. Once they had been served, he led them to a small table out of the way of the hospital hustle and bustle. "Hermione," he said nervously. She looked at him inquisitively and raised her eyebrows at him questioningly.

"Draco?" She replied, matching his drawn out tone.

"I'm aware this may not be the best time or place…or perhaps it's the best time and place…but I have something to ask you."

"Okay" she said, dragging out the last syllable and feeling her curiosity surge within her.

Draco plunged his hand into his robe and pulled out a small, silver box. Hermione's eyes widened and flicked from the box to Draco, who was still speaking.

"…been the best guy, but you make me want to be better. You make me believe I _can_ be better." He paused, as if debating whether or not to continue.

"Draco?"

He finally looked at her for the first time since they'd sat down. "Hermione Granger, will you give me the greatest honour of being my wife?"

"Draco," she breathed, not quite believing what he was saying.

He reached across the table and grasped her hands with one of his, the other still clutching the jewellery box. "Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"


	25. Chapter 25

Hermione stared at Draco wordlessly, not even glancing at the jewellery box or the ring glistening inside. Draco, for his part, simply waited for her to speak, his nerves growing more steadily every second Hermione didn't reply.

"Guys?" Harry's voice brought them back to reality. Standing awkwardly near their table, he took in the situation in front of him and paled. "Sorry but Fred's allowed visitors now, Mrs Weasley sent me to find you…" He trailed off at the death glare Hermione was now sending him.

"Harry Potter you did not just ruin the most amazing, lovely, romantic moment of my life so far!"

Harry stumbled back, shocked by the rage coming from his best friend, and stammered out an apology. When Hermione simply glared at him even more ferociously, Harry slowly edged away from the couple, leaving them alone again.

"So…" Draco decided to break the silence first. Hermione, who had been staring angrily after Harry, snapped her head round to face him and her gaze softened.

"Yes" she whispered, her hand stretching back across the table and slipping into his once again.

"We should probably go see Fred soon, but I wondered if you had an answer for me?"

Hermione blanched and gazed at him in surprise, "I already gave you your answer" she said, smiling softly at him.

Draco frowned at her in confusion, making Hermione's smile grow even larger, and then, a few moments later, realisation set in. "Yes?" He said, testing that he'd understood her properly.

She giggled and all but threw herself across the table, kissing him thoroughly before pulling back and beaming at him. "Yes" she confirmed, shrieking in delight as Draco pulled her up from her seat and spinning her around.

Looking around frantically, Draco swiped the jewellery box from the table and pulled the ring from its box. As he slipped the white gold band onto her finger Hermione took a moment to appreciate the unique ring. A small amethyst stone in a teardrop shape sat surrounded by tiny diamonds. It was sparkly without being too flashy, something which Hermione was truly grateful for. "Do you like it?" He asked worriedly.

"I love it, it's beautiful." Hermione whispered hoarsely, fighting back the tears.

"Well, I guess it's time for me to meet the unofficial in-laws as your fiancé." Draco joked, slipping an arm around Hermione and leading her back to where the Weasleys and Harry were.

Harry must have mentioned the scene he interrupted because as soon as they entered the room Mrs Weasley and Ginny watched them expectantly. Rolling his eyes with a smile Draco simply held up Hermione's hand, allowing them all to see the ring sitting on her finger glistening merrily. Ginny squealed and ran over to Hermione, grabbing Hermione's hand from Draco's and fussing over the ring. Mrs Weasley leaned happily into Arthur, crying quietly.

The male Weasley's watched their mum and sister affectionately before turning simultaneously to shoot Draco a threatening glare, softening only when they saw Hermione gaze adoringly at Draco and bump him with her elbow. Draco matched her giant grin and looped an arm around her waist, patiently answering Ginny's seemingly endless questioning about everything from him choosing the ring and the proposal to the wedding and where they were going to live once they were married.

All this chatter was disturbed when the doors opened and an indignant cry broke through Ginny's voice.

"Oi! You lot are meant to be visiting your ailing darling of a relative on his sickbed. I shouldn't have to wheel myself out here to get your attention!" Arms crossed in mock anger, Fred Weasley stood in the doorway with George sniggering just behind him. Ironically enough Snape had cut off the opposite ear to the one which George had lost. "You should still be able to tell us apart now mum." Fred was saying, "Between George and I, we have perfect hearing now; we just have to lean our heads together like this…" George hurried forward and leant his head against Fred's, lining up their stumps on the side of their heads. Sure enough it worked, admittedly in some kind of strange Siamese twin kind of way. As they pulled themselves away from each other Fred turned to Draco and Hermione "oh and Malfoy," he said, casually fingering the end of his wand in his pocket, "just because I'm technically less able bodied now don't think I'm unable to cause you misery if you do anything to upset our Hermione."

"Fred!" Mrs Weasley chastised, flapping at her son and uttering apologies to Draco.

"What?" He protested, holding up his hands innocently, "I'm just saying what all of you are thinking. Besides, who says there'd be anything left for us once Hermione was done with him?"

The awkward and tense stance Draco had adopted on Fred's words broke and he let out a giant guffaw of laughter, surprising them all. Hermione joined in, swiftly followed by Ginny, Harry and Ron until, eventually, the entire room was laughing as Fred stood beaming at his family. "Nutters, every last one of you" he whispered to himself, "but I wouldn't have it any other way."

George clapped a hand on his shoulder "neither would I brother. Now, what say we make a special wedding surprise for the lovely couple?"

The twins grinned wickedly at each other and fell into hushed conversation. They were so caught up with their plans that they didn't notice someone approach them.

"I don't want to know what you two are planning but if it involves my wedding and any form of scheming, plotting, pranking, tomfoolery or general ideas that will result in my embarrassment or anger then it should be you two, and not Draco, worried about their remaining body parts."

The twins jumped and blushed at being guessed so easily. "Hermione," wheedled Fred, flinging an arm around her shoulders "surely one little-"

"-teeny, tiny" added George, looping his own arm around her shoulders as well,

"itsy bitsy joke wouldn't hurt anyone, would it?"

Hermione looked between them briefly, as if considering their argument. Finally she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess not," she conceded. The twins whooped and squeezed her between them, "because you it wouldn't happen to hurt anyone in the first place, am I clear?" She demanded in a fiercer tone than which she'd begun.

The twins paled and gulped audibly. "Perfectly clear Hermione," whispered Fred

"Crystal clear" echoed George in a strangled voice, eying Hermione's wand warily.

"Good," she grinned at them and removed their arms from her shoulders, "I'm glad we cleared that up" were her parting words as she made her way back to Draco.


	26. Chapter 26

There were three weeks left until the wedding and Hermione was struggling. She always knew it would be difficult but she hadn't anticipated just how horrid it was preparing a wedding without her parent's help. It was the morning Ginny and Mrs Weasley had arranged for them to go dress shopping and Hermione was both exhausted and filled with dread. She so desperately wanted her mother to be with them, cooing over every dress Hermione tried on and bursting into tears when she found 'The Dress.

A knock on her door jolted Hermione out of her thoughts. She hastily pulled her top on and wiped away her tears before turning to see who it was. Draco was regarding her, worry hooding his eyes. She smiled sadly at him and he was instantly pulling her to him. She allowed him to hold her for a while before stepping back, sniffing slightly, "I'll be fine," she told him, told herself, croakily, "thank you for coming to check on me."

Not buying her reassurances but deciding to leave the matter for the moment Draco nodded and kissed her cheek. "Ginny mentioned you hadn't come downstairs yet, I thought today would be one of the harder days for you. I…er, I have something for you."

Hermione frowned and accepted the small fabric bundle he handed her. She slowly unwrapped it, revealing a familiar silver chain. The fabric it was wrapped in fell to the ground as she pulled the necklace into her other hand, her fingers running over the pendant she'd seen so many times before. She looked at Draco in amazement, "how did you…?"

"Remus came round the other day. They'd been sorting through items from your parent's house and asked me if I recognised any of them." Hermione frowned at him "the death eaters left some decoys behind, traps and tricks designed to injure anyone looking through the rubble. I recognised this from a picture you showed me of your mother." He paused, "that _is_ hers, isn't it?" He checked.

She nodded and stroked the pendant in her hand. "It was her favourite necklace. I bought it for her during the summer of my third year as a birthday present."

Draco stepped forward and slowly took the necklace from her, unclasping it and turning Hermione round. She complied silently and moved her hair out of the way so he could fasten it easier. When he was done she leant back against him.

"Thank you" she whispered. Draco kissed the top of her head and left her alone in the room, telling Ginny and Mrs Weasley that Hermione would be down shortly.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

"I'm sorry Draco, we don't know what happened."

"She was fine the last time I visited her so you find out what happened!"

The minister and his bumbling assistant stepped back, surprised by the anger in Draco's voice. He had received a letter that morning informing him the minister had some news for him. Draco had returned from the Weasley's home minutes before his floo activated and the minister stepped through. In black. Without a hat.

That was when Draco knew something had happened and this was something the ministry considered bad news.

That was when Draco was told that his mother had, for some unknown reason, died during the night the week before she was due to be released from Azkaban.

"…as the sole Malfoy heir you are automatically granted access to the family vault in Gringotts and ownership of all of your parents' assets, including Malfoy Manor."

"I don't want the bloody house" Draco finally snarled. The minister looked at him apologetically but said nothing, "What I want to know is how my mother died in a place that is guarded with some of the best ministry workers when she was in perfect health and due to be released soon."

The minister coughed awkwardly, "er yes, well we are looking into that Mr Malfoy. And you shall be the first to know of our findings…" the man trailed off, desperately casting around for another thread of conversation he could pursue. "Is there anyone you'd like to contact at this time?"

Draco nodded and strode over to the kitchen window. A few moments later his patronus bolted out across the street and disappeared. When Draco turned around the minister and his assistant were standing near the fireplace. The assistant was gazing longingly at it.

"Is that everything minister? I'd like to be alone if you don't mind."

The minister paled and nodded quickly, "of course, of course," he muttered, "perfectly understandable." He ushered his assistant into the fireplace and turned to Draco again, "my condolences once again Mr Malfoy." He said before disappearing after his assistant.

Draco sunk into an armchair and let his eyes lazily flick over the will the minister had left for him to read in full on the table. He felt the tug as his wards were entered but remained seated. He wasn't moving if it was someone he didn't want to see, and if it was the person he'd asked for then they'd know him well enough to simply enter.

Sure enough they swept into living room, panting slightly. They took in the scene in front of them and sighed.

"Draco…"

"Thank you for coming"

They nodded and sank into the chair next to Draco's, accepting the will when it was thrust at them.

"I hope I don't have to call you Lord Malfoy now"

"Hilarious, very witty"

"Sorry"

Draco shrugged "I don't really care. I just wanted someone here so I didn't go mad."

"Why didn't you call her?"

"She's had a tough enough day as it is; I didn't want to bother her," Draco finally met his guest's gaze "thank you Potter."

Harry returned Draco's shrug "No problem. You know you'll have to tell her though, right?"

"I know. Just not today. Today is about her and I refuse to ruin what Ginny and Mrs Weasley have turned into a good day despite circumstances. This will bring it up all over again."

"You mean her missing her mum today?"

Draco nodded, "I can't upset her again today, and she was in tears when I showed up there this morning. Besides, that gives me today to sort out the state of my parents' affairs. Being in Azkaban for several years is hardly conducive to keeping things in order."

"Anything you need help with?"

"I want to burn the house."

Harry laughed, thinking Draco was joking, only to sober again when he realised that Malfoy was completely serious. "Aren't there things in the house you want? And I can't see Hermione being happy about you killing off house elves."

"Anything of decent value is already in our Gringotts vault. The house elves would go to Hogwarts of course. I'm not about to evoke my future wife's wrath so close to our wedding. I may be a lot of things but dense is not one of them."

"Fair enough, well I'm afraid I'm not too well versed in arson Malfoy."

Draco let out a sharp chuckle "of course you're not Potter. I need to you to distract Hermione. Just keep her busy for tonight and make up a decent reason for why I'm not there. Preferably one that doesn't result in her worrying and apparating to my side to find me mid bonfire lighting."

Harry nodded and rose from his chair. "I'll get Ginny to help; she's a mastermind of sorts at distraction. I swear half of the Weasley's have a plotting gene in them." Draco smiled in acknowledgement and raised a hand in farewell as Harry made his leave. He waited until the wards tugged again, confirming that Harry had definitely gone, before apparating to Malfoy Manor.

As soon as he pushed open the doors a crowd of house elves appeared before him. One timidly stepped forward and swept into a low bow. "Good evening master Malfoy sir," it squeaked at him "how may we be serving you?"

Draco blinked, amazed at the amount of house elves that had been living in the manor all of his life. He had never seen one, except Dobby when he'd run away to Hogwarts, and wondered if they'd been ordered to stay away from him. With difficulty he swallowed down his initial response to snap at the creature and thought of Hermione, and how she'd treat the elf. He managed a grimace at it and spoke as kindly as he could, "I am relieving you all from your work here." He said. One of the younger elves burst into tears, making Draco pause in his speech. He realised with a jolt what that must have sounded like to them. "I'm not giving you clothes!" He shouted quickly. The sobbing elf stopped. "I'm merely sending you to work somewhere else. You will all be going to Hogwarts and working for the headmaster there called Albus Dumbledore. He is to be your new master."

The elves hesitated slightly, confused by the unusual demand, but did as they were bid and apparated to Hogwarts. When they were gone Draco summoned the scotch he knew his father always kept in the manor. He threw the stopper to one side and took a deep glug of the amber liquid. He'd never been one for alcohol before but felt that what he was about to do deserved a break from the norm. Gripping the neck of the bottle in one hand, Draco slowly paced the empty halls of the manor. He avoided his father's study, knowing nothing of value would be in there, and headed straight to his parent's bedroom.

Once inside Draco picked up his mother's jewellery box and a small photo of her holding him – one of the few in existence – and shrunk them so they'd fit in his cloak pocket. Despite what he'd told Harry, there were certain things he valued in the manor but nothing to do with his father. This, a few books from the library and several of his own belongings were all he wanted before he turned the manor into rubble. Stowing his items into his clock pockets room by room Draco headed to the final room on his list: his own.

Much to his surprise, when he opened the door there was somebody sitting on his bed. Draco pulled out his wand and lit the wall lamps. Leafing through a book with interest was Dumbledore. When the lights lit up he looked up and smiled at Draco. "Ah Draco!" He greeted cheerfully, "I was wondering when you'd reach your room. I assume you saved it until last?" Draco slowly nodded, not sure what was the old man's reason for being here. "I am sure you want to know why I have intruded into what is now your home. I heard from an insider at the ministry about your mother and the minister's visit. I figured you would allow yourself a brief trip down memory lane before removing what you see to be a blight of your childhood."

"You still haven't said what you want sir." Draco reminded him sullenly. Where most would be offended, Dumbledore merely chuckled.

"Quite right, forgive the ramblings of an old man." His expression turned serious as he regarded Draco again, "Miss Granger is a remarkable woman Mr Malfoy. She is capable of many things, including dealing with both her own problems and those of whom she cares greatly about. May I be so ignorant as to assume you have not told her of events that have transpired today?"

Draco nodded and Dumbledore sighed.

"It is so difficult," he said gravely, "to love and trust completely. And it is not always wise to do so. However I feel this is one such time you should allow yourself to seek comfort from someone of great importance to you. I am, of course, speaking of Miss Granger." Dumbledore rose from the bed and placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. "I understand your need to deal with this particular aspect of the matter alone however," he said "and I fear bringing Miss Granger here would do more harm than good. I do advise you to go to her once you have finished your task here though."

With that he left the room, shutting the door behind him. Draco stared at the door as if he could watch Dumbledore's retreat through it. After several moments a bird's screech jolted Draco out of his reverie and brought him back to his reason for being in his old bedroom. He hastily searched for the items he wanted, including a few childhood toys and his school equipment, and left, shutting the door behind him. He quickly made his way through the empty hallways, his footsteps echoing off the dark wooden floors, he only stopped once he'd shut the front door behind him. Turning on his heel he threw the half full bottle of scotch at the ominous door he'd hated so much for as long as he could remember before pulling out his wand and muttering a spell under his breath. There, for the next few hours, Draco watched as his childhood home burned down to ashes in front of him.

It was nearly three am when a knock at the door woke Hermione. Reflexes still sharp she grabbed her wand from under her pillow and held it out in front of her as she descended the stairs. Her mind, slowly throwing off sleep's numbing spell, argued with her fear as she slowly approached the front door.

_Honestly, who's going to __**knock**__ at the door before doing something dreadful?_

_Polite death eaters?_

_Rubbish, maybe someone is lost, or in trouble_

_Or maybe there's a crazy person outside with a machete_

_Or maybe you're the one who's insane?_

"Draco?" Hermione blinked sleepily at him, confused about why he was knocking at her door at such an early hour. "What is it? What's wrong?"

He didn't speak, just stepped over the threshold and buried his head against her neck. It was then she realised that he was crying. Still not sure what exactly had happened, Hermione wrapped her arms around him and gently led him into the house. He allowed her to pull him onto the sofa and turn on the nearest lamp before he spoke.

"Please don't make explain yet." He choked out, gripping her dressing gown sleeve desperately.

Hermione shook her head and placed her hand on top of his "no, I won't. You can tell me when you're ready" she soothed him. _But what made you come here so early?_

"I need you" he whispered brokenly, leaning into her.

"I'm not going anywhere Draco" she assured him. Draco sniffed and burrowed into her. Unsure what to do when she had so little knowledge of what had driven Draco to her home at this hour Hermione simply held him, making soothing noises every now and then, until, several hours later as the sun slowly rose, they both surrendered to sleep.


	27. Chapter 27

Draco and Hermione stayed hidden away at her house for the next two days. During this time Hermione absorbed every breakdown, every fit of rage, every regret and every vow for revenge that Draco uttered. She'd expected nothing less than this when he finally told her what had transpired the previous day and had immediately sealed off all contact points around her home, wordlessly banning the well-meaning Weasleys and Harry from intruding on Draco's grief. It had, she knew, cost him a great deal to come to her and bear everything so openly after years of automatically rejecting emotion. Her soon-to-be husband was finally opening up to her and, despite the circumstances in which the event occurred, Hermione was thankful.

As the sun set on the second day of their isolation Draco asked Hermione to lift the seals from the house. Within minutes Harry, Ginny and Mrs Weasley tumbled through the fireplace. "Hermione, I think your floo was broken the other day" Harry informed her.

Ginny nodded and added her support "and this morning, I tried to get through at least five times but I kept being thrown back out. Still, I did hit Ron once so it was kind of worth it…"

Hermione stood up from the sofa she'd been sitting on with Draco and moved around the room, lighting the lamps by hand rather than magic, "oh it wasn't broken" she said nonchalantly, "I sealed it off for a while."

"But Hermione dear, _why_?" Mrs Weasley asked, hurrying towards her and making to examine her for some form of injury.

"We needed some privacy for reasons I don't wish to discuss," Hermione replied softly, "but thank you for your concern Molly."

"I don't understand" the elder woman cried, throwing her hands up in frustration.

Hermione caught Harry's eye and flickered her gaze to Draco, who was still staring at the now active fireplace wordlessly. Slowly realisation set in to Harry's mind. He nodded and grabbed Ginny's hand "well," he declared with gusto, "now we know your floo wasn't broken, we'll head back to the Burrow." He started to march out of the house but Ginny dug her heels in, glaring suspiciously at Hermione.

"Oh I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on Hermione," she vowed "why didn't you contact one of us? We were worried." She said, her stance softening as she stepped towards Hermione.

"It wasn't anything to do with Hermione; the wards were up because of me."

Everyone in the room jumped at the sound of Draco's voice, having either overlooked him or forgotten he was there as he'd been so still.

"What do you mean, dear?" Mrs Weasley asked, casting a motherly glance over him as she had to Hermione just moments ago.

"Draco," Hermione broke in, "you don't have to. Not if you don't want to."

He shook his head and pulled himself up from the sofa. "The minister visited me at my home the day the girls went wedding dress shopping," he said, addressing everyone but focusing his gaze on Hermione. She returned it with a worried but encouraging look of her own. "There was an incident at Azkaban, my mother had been discovered dead during the morning rounds. The ministry won't say so but I feel it was murder. I took care of the immediate concerns in the will, being sole Malfoy heir, and came here. Hermione put the wards up to offer me some privacy while I dealt with this issue."

Ginny sniffed and slipped her hand back into Harry's. He squeezed it and kissed her forehead, soothing her upset as discretely as possible. Despite their previous spats, Ginny and Draco had formed a strong friendship and Ginny understood almost as well as Harry and Hermione how difficult this was for him.

Draco walked towards Mrs Weasley and Hermione. Much to everyone's surprise he walked past Hermione and hugged Mrs Weasley around her middle. After a stunned moment Mrs Weasley's instinct took over and she enveloped the grieving boy in front of her in her own embrace, smoothing his hair and rocking him slightly. Hermione watched them with a sad smile on her face.

Nobody spoke for several minutes. It was only when Draco pulled away and offered Mrs Weasley a sad, small smile that Harry spoke up again. "We'll leave you guys to it," he said, "owl us if you need anything." This time Ginny allowed herself to be led away and a small pop heralded their apparation. Mrs Weasley stayed for a few minutes longer, helping Hermione prepare dinner for herself and Draco, before heading back to the Burrow herself.

Draco and Hermione ate in silence, Hermione allowing Draco to remain in his thoughts now that he was rational enough to process the last few days. When they had finished eating and Hermione was doing the washing up, Draco walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. He moved her hair to one side and nuzzled her neck. Hermione sighed and leant back against him gladly.

"I'm sorry I put so much on you over the last few days," he whispered into her shoulder. Hermione stilled, unsure how to respond, "it was unfair of me."

"It wasn't unfair. You were hurting, you needed someone," she countered, turning to face him, "and I _am_ going to be your wife soon enough so I'd be offended if you didn't come to me with something like this, or anything else that was bothering you. I'm glad you chose to come to me and I would have gone through it as long as you needed me to."

She was speaking fiercely now, not wanting him to sink into self-pitying guilt at being open with his emotions. Her eyes were shining brightly, as they always did when she spoke passionately about something, and her expression dared him to contradict her.

His lips were suddenly against hers, almost desperately seeking contact. He pulled her even closer against him, seemingly melding their bodies together at the waist. Unsure how to respond Hermione tentatively returned the kiss, softly at first and then matching his vigour as she understood his need for physical comfort.

Nearly as quickly as the kiss began Draco pulled away. "I'm sorry," he panted, smoothing down her hair where he'd mussed it with his hands.

Hermione kissed him quickly, cutting off the rest of his sentence. When they broke apart her lips stayed close to his and she stared him straight in the eyes, "Draco Malfoy" she said sternly "don't you dare apologise for kissing me" she lectured him. "In fact," she grinned, "if that's how you plan on expressing emotion to me from now on, then I'm all for it!"

Draco snorted and pushed her gently against the kitchen counter, kissing her again and moving down her neck. "Only for you" he whispered, blowing cool air onto her shoulder and smirking as she shivered against him, "never for anyone but you."


	28. Chapter 28

"Are you sure you've got the rings Potter?"

"Of course I'm sure. I've been sure for the last two hours Draco!"

"Well show me again"

Harry sighed and indulged the nervous man in front of him. Satisfied that Harry did indeed have the rings in his possession Draco nodded and continued to pace the small room they were waiting in. They had been in that room since breakfast and weren't allowed to leave until Mr Weasley came and collected them. The reasoning behind this was that the wedding was being held at the Burrow, which was also where Hermione was getting ready. As such, to keep with the muggle tradition, Draco was locked away to avoid accidentally seeing Hermione in her dress. Harry and Ron had offered to wait with him but Ron had disappeared after an hour, mumbling some excuse and simply not returning, leaving Harry alone with the increasingly frustrated Draco.

"What's taking so long? What are they doing to her?"

Harry sank into a nearby armchair and sighed. "I have no idea but knowing Hermione they won't be much longer. Ginny took ages and that was with her getting fully involved. I can't imagine Hermione being too carried away with extra ruffles and specially placed sequins, can you?"

Draco chuckled and dropped into the armchair next to Harry, "no I don't suppose I can imagine that. Potter…" He paused for a moment, struggling with whether or not to say the next thing on his mind "do you think I'm doing the right thing?"

"Marrying Hermione? The woman you love, the woman you defied your family for, the woman you turned your back on your past for? What do you think?" Draco remained silent. "Look, Draco, it is safe for you guys now. Your father is gone and the Death Eater's are all either dead or locked up more securely than ever. She's seen you at your worst and your best, and you've seen her at her worst. You've both put up with all the crap you each had going in to this and you've come out the other side stronger than ever. Heck, if you don't marry her after everything that's happened I'll hex you to bits with the rest of the Weasleys!"

"Thanks Potter."

"Anytime Malfoy."

_Meanwhile, upstairs_

"Ginny my hair is fine, I am ready, _please_ can we go?" Hermione huffed at her best friend and glared at the other women in the room, all of whom ignored her.

"No, you have to look exactly perfect"

"Are you saying I'm not perfect?" Hermione challenged, arching a freshly-plucked eyebrow. Ginny paled beneath her make up and Hermione laughed. "Ginny I'm teasing you," she reassured, "I just don't see the point in all of this extra fuss for one day. You woke me up at stupid o'clock this morning and I've been groomed, painted, plucked and prodded ever since. I'm tired, I'm hungry and I just want to get married!"

Mrs Weasley entered the room at that moment, her eyes filling with tears when she saw Hermione in her dress. "Oh Hermione!" She sighed, beaming proudly.

"Mrs Weasley" Hermione returned softly, not wanting to set off another batch of tears. Mrs Weasley had already spent most of the day in tears and Hermione was frankly surprised that the woman still had any tears left.

"Arthur says they're ready for you outside whenever you are."

Hermione nodded and pushed herself up from her chair. Ginny scowled at her and made to push Hermione back down. Hermione sidestepped her friend's arms and strode determinedly towards the door. "I'm ready Mrs Weasley," she said, pausing in front of the woman she'd come to regard as a second mother, "do I look alright?" She asked softly, nerves hitting her afresh.

"You look beautiful 'Mione" a male voice said from behind Molly. Ron stepped around his mother and handed her a small bouquet of violets and white roses, tied with a red and green ribbon. "Mum forgot your flowers; I thought I'd bring them up." He supplied.

Hermione accepted the bouquet and pulled him into a hug. "Where's Harry?" She asked, surprised he hadn't tried to sneak up with Ron to see her.

"With Draco, keeping _him_ from coming upstairs"

"Ah, I see. Could you tell them I'm on my way?"

Ron nodded and retreated back down the stairs, passing Arthur Weasley on the staircase. Molly pecked her husband on the cheek and rushed downstairs, ushering all the other women except Ginny out of the room with her and to the back garden where the rest of the wedding party were waiting for Hermione's arrival. Arthur took Hermione's hand in his and kissed it. "You look wonderful Hermione" he told her, tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow and stepping back to allow his daughter to go in front of them "Ginny, you look beautiful as well." He said quickly. Ginny smiled at her dad and ducked her head in thanks, smoothing down the skirt of her violet dress and picking up her bouquet of daisies.

Hermione swallowed her nerves and followed Ginny down the stairs, arm in arm with Mr Weasley. When they reached the end of the aisle Hermione gasped: the meadow the Weasley's owned had been turned into the most beautiful wedding venue she could ever imagine. Silver chairs adorned with daisies and violets sat on the grass either side of the aisle. At the end of the aisle was an archway of white roses with purple butterflies floating lazily around people's heads. Draco stood in traditional wizard robes, his platinum hair slicked back. Harry stood beside him in a muggle suit, his hair as scruffy as usual. To one side, on a small stage, a string quartet waited, poised to play as soon as Hermione began her official approach. Mr Weasley gave a little nod to signal that they should begin and a string version of the bridal march floated out towards them. Harry glanced over his shoulder and grinned at Hermione, nudging Draco with his elbow. Hermione took a deep breath and began to follow Ginny as Draco turned around to watch her walk towards him.

He had never seen anyone look more glorious. He remembered Harry warning him a million clichés one would usually scoff at became true when seeing your bride walk towards you. And it was true: he couldn't breathe, everyone else disappeared and it was just Hermione walking towards him, the music stopped, time seemed to slow down and all he wanted to do was run up to Hermione and whisk her away somewhere they could be alone. He was jolted back to reality when Harry coughed loudly beside him and smirked at him "told you so" he said.

"Shut it Potter" Draco returned, unable to remove the grin from his face to add the bite to his words.


	29. Chapter 29

Hermione shrieked in surprise as Ron and Harry grabbed her and spun her around between them on the dance floor. The wedding reception was well into its fifth hour now and Hermione had been accosted by her best friends for the last half an hour. She had lost sight of Draco about ten minutes ago and had been trying to sneak off to find her husband when the boys had grabbed her.

"Hiya Hermione!" Ron, his face flushed with alcohol, bellowed in her face. Hermione bit back a grimace at the stench of fire whiskey and smiled delicately back at him. "We," Ron continued shouting, indicating between himself and Harry, "have a surprise for you!" He pointed at her and then broke into a fit of giggles. Harry rolled his eyes and lightly bumped Ron's shoulder with his own. Ron promptly staggered backwards and fell over, chuckling to himself as he looked up at Harry and Hermione. "Twinkle, twinkle little star…" he started singing to himself, still giggling.

"C'mon Ron, up you get" Hermione ordered, grabbing his hands and trying to pull him up. Ron resisted and Hermione staggered forward, nearly falling on top of him. Harry sighed resignedly and moved forward, grabbing Ron's wrists and pulling as well. Eventually Ron surged up towards them and leant heavily on Harry.

"S'prise Hermyneee"

"What _is_ this surprise Ron? Nothing's happened." Hermione got nothing in response except more giggles from Ron but her question was answered when a series of loud bangs set off behind them. Hermione whipped round, pulling out her wand as an automatic reaction, and then slackened her stance in amazement.

Up in the sky what seemed like thousands of fireworks were going off charmed to be a blend of Gryffindor and Slytherin colours. A lion and a snake figure formed in the sky only to be replaced by two interlocking circles and a heart. Hermione gasped in wonder.

"Good, aren't they?"

"Told you that you'd like anything we did Granger."

Fred and George had appeared at her side, grinning at her smugly. Hermione smirked back and bumped them gently. "Thank you," she said, smiling warmly, "they're amazing."

"You got something wrong Weasleys"

All three of them turned around to see Draco approaching them, a glass of champagne in his hand. He locked eyes with Hermione, took her hand in his and kissed it. Hermione blushed beneath his attention and held his gaze. Without looking from his wife Draco continued "My wife is a Malfoy now, address her correctly."

Fred rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment and shuffled his feet. George slumped his shoulders and looked bashfully at Hermione "sorry Hermione, Draco."

"Don't be silly; just get it right in future boys. And thank you for the fireworks, they're wonderful." Hermione slipped her hand from Draco and stepped forward to the twins, kissing them each on the cheek before leading her husband back into the dancing crowds. "You had them worried there" she teased him, pressed against him as they swayed to the music.

"Good, can't have everybody thinking I've gone soft on them now, can I?"

Hermione snorted and buried her head in the crook of his neck. One of Draco's hands came up from where it was on her waist and stroked her hair; teasingly pulling on the odd curl or two and watching them spring up again slowly.

They danced in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Their moment was broken when Mr Weasley commanded everyone's attention by tapping a wine glass and summoning a microphone.

"Hello everyone, I'd just like to say thank you all for coming to the wedding and staying for the party." There was polite applause as slowly people began to turn away from their dance partners and to look towards Mr Weasley. "Hermione has always been like a daughter to my wife and I, ever since Ron introduced us to this wonderful little girl with her head in a book and a passionate disposition for what she thought was right. Over the years my family has enjoyed many an occasion with Hermione present, and we've been through some less than positive experiences together too. I would like to congratulate Hermione for the breathtaking and superb young woman she has turned into, and for blessing my family and I with knowing her for all these years." More claps rang around the room and Hermione faintly heard Ron bellow a drunken cheer from the back of the crowd.

Arthur smiled patiently as he waited for the applause to calm down before he continued, "And then, Hermione came to us with details of a potential romance. She was seeking advice from Molly more than myself but allowed me to be involved in the discussions. I'll be honest; Molly and I had our reservations about this boy she spoke of, given their history. However, in true Hermione fashion, she argued most heatedly his case and their case. We spoke to the boy and asserted he was genuine, and so we welcomed Draco to the family. The time that followed was not without trials or hardships. We nearly lost one of our boys, and we nearly lost Hermione and Draco. However we fought through as a family and Draco really proved to us just how precious our Hermione was to him. And so, it is with great joy that I welcome Draco to our family properly, safe in the knowledge that he will protect her with everything he has. So we toast," he declared, raising his glass above his head, "to Draco and Hermione."

"To Draco and Hermione" the crowd around them echoed.

Draco pulled Hermione to his side and kissed her forehead. "I love you so much" he whispered.

Hermione smiled bashfully up at him and kissed him, running a hand lazily through his hair, "And I love you."

**End**


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